PARIS: Arcavi, a mixed economy company committed to the sustainable management of waste in the Ardennes region, and Waga Energy (EPA: WAGA), a global expert in the production of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) from landfills, commissioned a RNG production unit at the waste treatment and recovery site IVEDA in Éteignières (Ardennes, France) on April 26, 2024.

The plant uses the WAGABOX® technology, an innovation developed and patented by Waga Energy, to produce RNG from the gas issued spontaneously by organic landfill waste. This green gas, a renewable substitute to fossil gas, is injected directly into the local distribution network to supply households and businesses of local communities.

The WAGABOX® unit can process 370 scfm (600 m3/h) of landfill gas and produce around 85,000 MMBtu (25 GWh) of RNG per year, depending on the concentration of methane in the raw gas.

The ramp-up is to take place gradually: for the time being, the unit will replace one of the two cogeneration engines installed on the site to produce heat and electricity; from next year, once the second engine has been shut down, it will process all the gas available and will then be able to supply more than 2,500 households, thereby avoiding the emission of around 3,000 tons of CO2 eq per year into the atmosphere.

The new unit will significantly increase the site’s energy efficiency and provide local and renewable energy to replace fossil fuels, particularly for transport, industry and urban heating.

Created in 1978 by the Ardennes Departmental Council, Arcavi implements the waste management policy of the region and operates the IVEDA site at Éteignières, which can process up to 120,000 tons of waste a year.

The project received a €311,260 subsidy from the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe) as part of the “i-Nov Innovation Competition”, funded by the France 2030 plan, to improve the efficiency of the RNG production unit. The i-Nov Innovation Competition supports innovation projects of start-ups and SMEs with particularly strong potential for the French economy.

Marc Wathy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Arcavi: “Using waste as a resource is a concrete opportunity to develop a green and sustainable energy source for the Ardennes region. We’re very excited to be working with our new partner, Waga Energy, to strengthen the site’s existing biogas recovery on a long-term basis.”

Mathieu Lefebvre, Chief Executive Officer of Waga Energy: “Thanks to the WAGABOX® technology, the IVEDA site at Éteignières has become a RNG producer, supplying the region with green, local and sustainable energy. We’re delighted to be working hand in hand with Arcavi to help make the Ardennes region greener.”

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