Methane: A Local Energy Source and a Powerful Greenhouse Gas 

Methane is one of the most concerning greenhouse gases in the short term, with a global warming potential 28 times greater than CO₂ over a 100-year period. Reducing methane emissions is widely considered one of the fastest and most effective ways to combat climate change. Landfills are among the largest sources of anthropogenic methane emissions in Europe.

Converting landfill gas into biomethane not only produces renewable energy that can be injected into gas networks, but also prevents significant quantities of methane from being released into the atmosphere.

The Importance of Improving Gas Capture Performance

The energy recovery of landfill gas creates a strong economic incentive to improve gas collection efficiency. Landfill operators can invest in equipment and practices that enable greater gas recovery, including denser well networks, optimized extraction systems, leak detection programs, and early gas capture on active landfill cells. 

These improvements reduce fugitive methane emissions while increasing biomethane production. The environmental benefit is therefore twofold: more renewable energy is generated while emissions of a particularly potent greenhouse gas are reduced. 

Waga Energy’s Proposal

Based on empirical data drawn from several studies conducted across different European countries, Waga Energy proposes incorporating into RED III a reference value of −56 gCO₂eq/MJ of biomethane for biomethane produced from landfill gas, provided that advanced landfill gas collection techniques are implemented. 

This value reflects the climate benefit associated with the additional methane captured through biomethane recovery projects and the related improvements in gas collection efficiency. 

By assigning value to the methane captured, these projects encourage the adoption of advanced gas collection systems at a larger number of landfill sites and contribute to reducing landfill methane emissions. The proposal therefore aims to better reflect these emission reductions within the RED III calculation methodology. 

Contributing to REPowerEU Objectives

Through its REPowerEU plan, the European Union has set an ambitious biomethane production target to accelerate the energy transition and strengthen energy sovereignty. In this context, biomethane produced from landfill gas represents a significant yet underutilized resource. 

According to estimates presented in Waga Energy's technical contribution, this pathway could deliver between 15 and 20 TWh of annual biomethane production in Europe, representing approximately 5% of the EU's biomethane production target by 2030. 

Waga Energy’s proposal does not seek to create a new support mechanism or request additional funding. Its primary objective is to ensure a more accurate assessment of the actual climate benefits of landfill gas-to-biomethane projects within European carbon accounting frameworks. 

Such recognition would encourage the adoption of best-in-class gas capture practices, properly value the emission reductions achieved on the ground, and support the development of projects that contribute to reducing methane emissions across Europe. 

Through this contribution, Waga Energy is leveraging its industrial expertise to support the evolution of European climate policies, promoting a regulatory framework grounded in scientific evidence and operational experience.

* RED III (Renewable Energy Directive III): The 2023 revision of the European Renewable Energy Directive, which establishes strengthened targets to increase the share of renewable energy in the European energy mix and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is the federal program that underpins the economics of Renewable Natural Gas in the United States. Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the RFS requires fuel refiners and importers to blend a minimum volume of renewable fuels into the nation's transportation fuel supply each year.

To demonstrate compliance, obligated parties must acquire tradable credits called Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) — each corresponding to one gallon-equivalent of renewable fuel. For RNG producers, RINs represent the primary source of "green value" that makes landfill gas-to-RNG projects economically viable in a country where the price of natural gas is very low..

The RFS classifies renewable fuels into four categories based on their feedstock and lifecycle greenhouse gas reduction. RNG produced from landfill gas, wastewater treatment plants, or anaerobic digesters qualifies as a cellulosic biofuel (D3-RIN) — the highest-value category, requiring a minimum 60% GHG reduction compared to fossil fuels.

This classification was a game-changer for the landfill gas industry. Since the EPA's 2014 pathway approval, landfill-derived RNG has been eligible for D3 RINs, significantly boosting the economic case for upgrading landfill gas into pipeline-quality biomethane rather than simply flaring it or converting it to low-value electricity.

The EPA sets annual volume requirements — known as Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) — that determine how many RINs must be retired each year. For D3 cellulosic biofuel, the trajectory is clearly upward.

A key strength of the RFS is its bipartisan durability. Established under the Bush administration in 2005, the program has been maintained across successive Democratic and Republican governments. The current administration has positioned biofuels — including RNG — among the energies to be promoted. In March 2026, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called the latest RVO rule "historic," setting "the highest levels of biofuels ever required" in the program's 20-year history.

The RFS is not the only mechanism supporting U.S. RNG economics. Several complementary programs create stackable revenue streams for producers:

• State-level programs: Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), for example in California, awards additional credits based on the carbon intensity reduction achieved. Oregon and Washington have implemented similar mechanisms.
• Federal tax credits: The Production Tax Credit (PTC, section 45Z), extended through December 2029 under the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA) signed in July 2025, provides additional support tied to the carbon intensity of the biofuel produced.
• Voluntary market: A growing number of corporations and institutions are committing to purchase RNG through long-term contracts, independently of any regulatory mandate — driven by their own decarbonization objectives.

For landfill owners, the U.S. regulatory framework transforms landfill gas from a waste management liability into a revenue-generating asset. D3 RIN eligibility, combined with state-level credits and federal tax incentives, creates a compelling economic case for landfill gas-to-RNG conversion.

For RNG buyers, the long-term stability of the RFS — reinforced by rising volume requirements and bipartisan political support — provides confidence for entering into long-term procurement contracts, while the voluntary market offers flexibility beyond regulated channels.

While the RFS remains the primary demand driver for U.S. RNG, the market is evolving beyond domestic compliance. On the supply side, U.S. RNG production capacity has grown by 35% between 2023 and 2025, driven by favorable economics and federal incentives.

On the demand side, new channels are emerging, in particular on the voluntary markets. For example data centers increasingly produce electricity on site from gas. RNG will then become a key solution for them to reach their ambitious climate goals. RNG in the form of bio-LNG is gaining recognition as a drop-in decarbonization fuel for international shipping, as the International Maritime Organization advances its Net-Zero Framework. Meanwhile, growth in domestic transportation demand will depend in part on the continued expansion of the conversion of trucks to compressed natural gas (CNG).

Enhanced extraction mode

The blower draws in the LFG at a high rate and maintains the vacuum in the landfill at a high level. It helps to reduce odor nuisance but can increase the concentration of air up to 30%.

Recovery mode

The blower keeps the vacuum at a constant, low level. If the valves are precisely controlled and the LFG collection network is sufficiently airtight, the air content can be kept to below 15%.

In practice, landfill operators often need to combine these different settings according to the production level of the different cells and the various, sometimes conflicting, constraints: methane recovery, odor nuisance reduction, polluting emission reduction, etc.

This technology emerged in the US during the 1990s. The goal of bioreactor landfills is to speed up organic matter degradation and stabilize waste by enclosing it in a confined chamber and irrigating it with landfill run-off water, or so-called leachate. This system stimulates microbial activity while also diluting any inhibitors (ammonia, salts, sulfur, etc.). When the cell is covered with an airtight membrane, a bioreactor needs to be installed to enable the organic matter to decompose and prevent the waste from becoming “mummified”.