Waga Energy launches its first Renewable Natural Gas production project in Italy

6 November 2024
Representatives of IREN, CSAI, and Waga Energy: Marco Buzzichelli, CEO of CSAI - Andrea Fratini, president of CSAI - Andrea Baldini, CEO of Waga Energy Italia - Yann Pierre, commercial director of Waga Energy Group - Eugenio Bertolini, director of IREN ambiente (from left to right)

Centro Servizi Ambiente Impianti (CSAI), a subsidiary of the Italian multiutility company Iren, and Waga Energy have signed a 10-year partnership to produce Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) at the Podere Rota Landfill in Terranuova Bracciolini, located in the province of Arezzo (Tuscany, Italy). This is Waga Energy’s first WAGABOX® unit project in Italy. 

The WAGABOX® unit at Terranuova Bracciolini will be commissioned in 2026 and is expected to produce up to 98,950 MMBtu (29 GWh) of RNG per year, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of approximately 3,400 households in Italy. The project will prevent the emission of around 5,900 tons of CO2 eq per year by replacing fossil-based natural gas with renewable gas.   

As part of this project, Waga Energy will purchase biogas produced by landfill waste from CSAI and upgrade it into RNG, a renewable substitute for fossil natural gas, using its patented WAGABOX® technology. The RNG will be injected into the local gas transportation network and sold to an energy utility under a 10-year Biomethane Purchase Agreement (BPA).  

Closed since 2022 and now in its post-operation phase, the Podere Rota site continues to produce biogas, currently used for electricity production via engines. The WAGABOX® unit deployed by Waga Energy at the CSAI site will optimize biogas management to deliver high-efficiency, renewable local energy. With existing gas infrastructure, this energy can be easily stored and transported, contributing to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, decreased reliance on fossil fuels in transportation, industry, and heating, and enhanced energy independence for the region. 

Andrea Baldini, CEO, Waga Energy Italia: “CSAI is the first waste manager in Italy to call upon the WAGABOX® technology which is already implemented in France, Spain, the United States and Canada. We are proud of the partnership between the public sector, an Italian corporation leading the energy transition, and a start-up committed to the fight against climate change. Renewable natural gas – made locally from the effective use of biogas produced by landfill waste – is a renewable and storable energy source that will serve to curb the use of fossil natural gas while restricting greenhouse gas emissions.” 

Mathieu Lefebvre, CEO, Waga Energy: “With our very first contract in Italy, we are pleased to initiate the rollout of the WAGABOX® solution in this country, paving the way to a highly promising market for Waga Energy. This partnership with CSAI is the concrete manifestation of a shared ambition to decarbonize the economy through renewable natural gas production, contributing to the fight against global warming.” 

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