Veolia and Waga Energy inaugurate RNG production facility in France

Veolia and Waga Energy have inaugurated a renewable natural gas (RNG) production facility at the Granges landfill site in Burgundy, France.

The unit, which has been in operation for several months, supplies more than 3,000 households in the community with RNG while preventing the emission of 3,300 metric tons of CO₂-equivalent into the atmosphere each year, the companies say.

Veolia and Waga Energy, two French companies, inaugurated the RNG production unit at the Granges landfill in partnership with GRDF, a key player in France’s gas transition.

“We’re proud and excited to continue our partnership with Veolia, a global leader in waste treatment and recovery—a collaboration that began seven years ago,” Waga CEO Mathieu Lefebvre says. “Together, we’re proving that, when properly managed and equipped to capture and convert gas, landfill sites can play a key role in the energy transition.

"This sixth joint project highlights the potential of these sites to produce large volumes of renewable natural gas at competitive prices, helping in the fight against climate change. I also want to recognize the outstanding teamwork on the ground—our teams’ dedication and expertise have been essential in making these ambitious and complex projects a reality.”

RELATED: Waga Energy receives acquisition bid

The facility uses Waga Energy’s patented Wagabox technology to capture and upgrade landfill biogas naturally generated by waste stored on site. Its output is fed into the local gas grid operated by GRDF, via a 2.5-mile pipeline connection built as part of the project.

The unit can treat up to 400 standard cubic feet per minute of raw biogas, according to Waga Energy, and supplies more than 3,000 French households, preventing the emission of approximately 3,300 metric tons of CO₂-equivalent into the atmosphere each year. 

The Granges waste recovery center, near Chalon-sur-Saône, is operated by Valbara, a subsidiary of Veolia. It processes up to 130,000 tons of waste per year. The RNG production unit replaces one of the site’s two combined heat and power engines, improving its energy efficiency and environmental performance through the production of renewable gas.

RNG provides an alternative to fossil gas for uses that remain largely dependent on fossil fuels, such as heating, transportation and industry.

This is the sixth RNG commissioning project carried out jointly by Veolia and Waga Energy in seven years. The Wagabox units installed at Veolia sites have a total installed capacity of 802,000 MMBtu per year, enabling them to supply more than 35,000 French households and prevent the emission of approximately 40,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent per year into the atmosphere.