PARIS, FRANCE: Waga Energy (EPA: WAGA) and the Capital Regional District are rolling out a high-capacity RNG project at Hartland Landfill on Vancouver Island, a statement noted.

Waga Energy, a specialist in the production of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) from landfills, has signed a contract with the Capital Regional District (CRD), one of 28 districts in British Columbia, to build an RNG production facility at Hartland Landfill on Vancouver Island.

The new production unit will leverage the WAGABOX® technology developed and patented by Waga Energy to produce RNG from landfill gas. RNG is a renewable substitute for fossil-based natural gas.

Waga Energy will build a high-capacity WAGABOX© unit at Hartland Landfill. Expected to go online in the second half of 2024, the unit will be able to process 2,000 scfm (3,200 m3/h) of landfill gas. Based on expected gas volumes, it will be producing up to 345,000 mmBTU (100 GWh/y or 365,000 GJ/y ), and will save 450,000 tonnes of eqCO2 over the next 25 years, by replacing fossil-based natural gas.

The WAGABOX unit for the Hartland Landfill will be built in Quebec by Waga Energy’s Canadian subsidiary, with the exception of a cryogenic distillation module to be imported from France. The facility will be operated and maintained by Waga Energy for 25 years. The RNG produced by this unit will be sold by the CRD to Canadian utility FortisBC and injected into the gas grid via a pipeline extension.

Waga Energy’s proposal came out on top following the CRD’s request for proposals in 2021. This is the company’s first project in British Columbia and its fourth in Canada.

The CRD encompasses thirteen municipalities and serves a population of 432,000 on southern Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands. It operates Hartland Landfill, which receives waste from residents across the region. The WAGABOX® unit will replace a gas-to-electricity plant which has been in operation at the landfill since 2004, significantly increasing the amount of energy produced on site.

Waga Energy CEO Mathieu Lefebvre said, “We are excited about the opportunity to work with the Capital Regional District to support British Columbia’s energy transition by enabling the production of significant amounts of competitively priced Renewable Natural Gas. Over the past five years we have built, commissioned, and operated thirteen units in Europe, allowing us to develop substantial know-how in the production of RNG from landfill gas. In the past eighteen months alone, we have initiated five WAGABOX® projects in North America, so there is clearly growing interest in our technology.”

Colin Plant, CRD Board Chair said, “Adopting long-term solutions that reduce our region’s emissions is a crucial part of the CRD’s commitment to take meaningful action on climate change. Partnering with Waga Energy on the design, construction and operation of a state-of-the-art landfill gas upgrading facility marks a significant investment in the future sustainability of our region.”

This marks Waga Energy’s first landfill gas project in British Columbia and its fourth in Canada.