GFL Environmental part of Quebec landfill gas-to-energy effort

Waga Energy, a France-based provider of renewable natural gas (RNG) from landfill gas technology, says its joint effort with Matrec-GFL, a division of Canada-based GFL Environmental Inc., has resulted in the commissioning of an RNG production unit at a closed landfill in Chicoutimi, Quebec.

According to Waga, the RNG will be injected into the energy grid operated by Quebec-based Énergir grid and will contribute to reaching the decarbonization objectives of the Quebec government.

The Chicoutimi landfill operated between 1998 and 2017, ultimately by Matrec-GFL, and received more than 1.6 million metric tons of nonhazardous waste, according to Waga. Although the site no longer accepts materials, it still will produce biogas for several years because of the degradation of organic matter that has been landfilled.

Deployed at the site is Wagabox technology, developed and patented by Waga Energy. The resulting RNG is sold to Énergir and injected directly into its grid. The goal of the project is to inject 10 percent of required RNG by 2030 into the Énergir gas grid as part of the Quebec government’s Plan for a Green Economy.

The Wagabox unit potentially will produce 16 gigawatt hours (GWh) of RNG per year, corresponding to the gas consumption of around 800 local households, according to the two companies, noting the installation also will avoid emissions of more than 2,500 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent in the atmosphere.

Matrec-GFL has granted Waga Energy the right to tap into the biogas from the Chicoutimi landfill for a period of 10 years, and revenue generated by the sale of the RNG will be shared between the two partners.

“Together, we will write a new chapter where innovation and commitment combine to shape the RNG trajectory as a pillar of the energy transition, by participating in the development of the local economy while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” says Julie Flynn, chair and CEO of the Waga Energy Canadian subsidiary.

The project benefited from subsidies of CAD $7.1 million ($5.22 million) from the Quebec government. “The Wagabox unit was built in Quebec, with the support of local contractors, except for the cryogenic distillation module, which was manufactured in France," Waga says.

“We are promoting a novel initiative to reduce greenhouse gases and produce renewable energy by giving new life to buried waste. Matrec-GFL's commitment to sustainability is deeply anchored in each of its projects and we are delighted to be the incarnation of responsible management of final waste and to be green for life," says Jean-Philippe Laliberté, a senior vice president at Matrec-GFL.

This is the second Wagabox unit commissioned in Quebec and two other units are under construction in Canada, one in Cowansville, Quebec, and the other in Victoria, British Columbia. Six more units are under construction in the United States.