Zone-Éco, provider of modern landfill, composting, and waste recovery services in the Brome-Missisquoi region, and Waga Energy have launched a renewable natural gas (RNG) production unit at the Cowansville landfill site (Quebec, Canada).
This WAGABOX® unit will produce up to 30 gigawatt hours (110,000 gigajoules) of RNG per year, supplying 1,750 Quebec households and avoiding the emission of 5,542 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year into the atmosphere (as estimated by Énergir).
The project, supported by the Quebec government with $12.4 million under the Plan for a Green Economy 2030, which aims to inject 10% RNG into networks by 2030, includes $6.9 million for Waga Energy Canada and $5.5 million for connection to Énergir’s network.
This is the third RNG injection project undertaken by Waga Energy in Canada, with a total installed capacity of nearly 195 gigawatt hours per year (702,000 GJ/year). A fourth unit is under construction in Hartland, British Columbia.
Zone-Éco, a public body of the Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality (MRC), manages the Cowansville landfill site, capable of processing up to 75,000 tonnes of waste per year from the Brome-Missisquoi region and neighboring counties. Until recently, biogas from waste was burned in a flare to prevent direct methane emissions into the atmosphere. Thanks to the WAGABOX® unit, this biogas is now valorized into RNG, thus contributing to the supply of low-carbon gas to local networks.
Pierre Fitzgibbon, Quebec’s Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, emphasizes that “biomethane is an effective solution to reduce fossil fuel consumption. The partnership between Zone-Éco and Waga Energy Canada helps develop expertise in a sector where innovation is needed to accelerate the production of this transitional energy.“
Benoit Charette, Quebec’s Minister of Environment, Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, and responsible for the Laurentides region, explained that “by valorizing the waste outputs of a waste storage site into biomethane, Zone-Éco and Waga Energy Canada contribute to achieving our climate objectives. Local biomethane production is one of the solutions to ensure a transition to a more resilient and carbon-efficient Quebec, and that is why our government is proud to support initiatives like this.”
Julie Flynn, CEO of Waga Energy Canada, stated, “this collaboration is a step towards achieving the goal of 10% biomethane in Quebec’s gas network by 2030 and contributing to the province’s decarbonization.“