Waga Energy and Séché Environnement partner to produce Renewable Natural Gas in northwestern France

Waga Energy, the European specialist in the production of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) from landfills, and Séché Environnement, a leader on the circular economy market, announced today that they will be partnering on an RNG injection project at a landfill operated by Séché Environnement subsidiary Opale Environnement in Sainte-Marie-Kerque in northwestern France.

Waga Energy will build a landfill gas upgrading unit at the site, leveraging its WAGABOX® technology to purify the biogas generated by decomposing landfill waste into RNG, a renewable substitute for fossil-based natural gas. Opale Environnement will finance the pipeline connecting the WAGABOX® unit to the gas grid five miles (eight kilometers) away. The unit will inject 20 GWh (68,242 mmBtu) of RNG into the local grid each year, corresponding to the annual consumption of around 3,000 households.

The Opale Environnement landfill in Sainte-Marie-Kerque receives around 50,000 tons of waste per year. Séché Environnement took over operations in 2022 and began implementing measures to achieve environmental excellence. It was one of the first landfills in France to use biogas to generate electricity. The generator will be replaced by a WAGABOX® unit in the second half of 2023.

This project, which coincides with Opale Environnement’s 20th anniversary, marks a new step toward the landfill’s circular economy objectives. The RNG produced will provide an alternative to fossil-based natural gas and avoid the emission of 3,300 tons of CO2 equivalent per year1. RNG offers the added advantage of being easy to store and transport using the existing natural gas infrastructure.

Séché Environnement has been providing waste management services for over three decades. This project will position the company to make further inroads into the circular economy market while helping reduce its carbon emissions by 25% by 2030, a target outlined in its climate strategy announced in February 2022.

In 2021, Séché Environnement produced 1,232 GWh (4,203,710 mmBtu) of recovered energy, including 34% from renewable sources.

1. Estimate based on non-renewable natural gas and renewable natural gas emission factors in France according to French energy agency ADEME’s carbon database and factoring in direct and indirect emissions.

Waga Energy CEO Mathieu Lefebvre said, “We are extremely pleased to begin working with Séché Environnement, a key stakeholder in France’s waste management and recycling market, and a partner who shares our commitment to the environment. The Renewable Natural Gas produced at this landfill will help decarbonize the economy, reduce fossil-fuel-related carbon emissions, and bolster the local community’s energy independence.”

Séché Environnement CEO Maxime Séché said, “I can’t think of a more appropriate way to celebrate Opale Environnement’s 20th anniversary. This partnership with Waga Energy will help us continue to live up to our commitment to making industrial facilities and communities more sustainable. At Séché Environnement, fighting climate change means shrinking our carbon footprint and developing solutions for the circular economy. This project is 100% aligned with our strategy.”