France-headed landfill gas to biomethane (aka renewable natural gas - RNG) technology provider Waga Energy SA has announced that it will supply a landfill gas (LFG) to RNG production to Centro Servizi Ambiente Impianti (CSAI), a subsidiary of the Italian multi-utility company Iren.
Centro Servizi Ambiente Impianti (CSAI) and Waga Energy will install an LFG-to-RNG production unit at the Podere Rota Landfill in Terranuova Bracciolini, in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany, and have initiated a 10-year partnership to produce RNG at the Podere Rota Landfill.
As part of this project, Waga Energy will purchase LFG produced by landfill waste from CSAI and upgrade it into RNG, a renewable substitute for fossil natural gas, using its patented WABAGOX technology.
The RNG will be injected into the local gas transportation network and sold to an energy utility under a 10-year private purchase agreement (PPA).
This innovative project combines CSAI’s know-how in waste treatment and recovery with Waga Energy’s unique expertise in producing RNG from landfills.
CSAI is the first waste manager in Italy to call upon the WAGABOX technology 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, said Andrea Baldini, CEO of Waga Energy Italia.
Post-operation switch from power to RNG
The project undertaken by CSAI and Waga Energy will optimize the management of the landfill gas produced by the Terranuova Bracciolini Landfill, with the goal of making a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhancing the local community’s energy independence.
The Podere Rota Landfill has been closed since 2022 and is currently in post-operation phase. Its LFG production is currently used to generate electricity.
The WAGABOX unit will guarantee higher energy efficiency, supplying local and renewable energy that can be easily stored and transported via existing gas infrastructure, replacing fossil fuels for transportation, industry, and heating.
Set to be commissioned in 2026, the WAGABOX unit at Terranuova Bracciolini will produce up to 98,950 MMBtu (29 GWh) of RNG per year, representing the annual consumption of approximately 3,400 households in Italy.
The project will avoid the emissions of around 5,900 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2eq) annually by replacing fossil natural gas with RNG in the gas grid.
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, said Mathieu Lefebvre, CEO of Waga Energy.
