This facility, operational as of 20 June, is located at the Can Mata Controlled Waste Repository (Els Hostalets de Pierola, Barcelona), owned by PreZero Spain.
Thanks to the WAGABOX® technology developed by Waga Energy, 70 GWh of renewable gas will be injected annually into Nedgia's grid (equivalent to the consumption of 14,000 households) and will prevent 17,000 tonnes of CO2eq per year from being released into the atmosphere.
PreZero Spain, a leading company in the environmental industry specialising in providing urban services and developing circular economy solutions, and Waga Energy, a European specialist in producing biomethane from controlled waste repositories, have launched the largest project in Spain to transform biogas produced by waste degradation from a controlled waste repository into biomethane. This renewable gas is injected directly into the network operated by Nedgia, the gas distributor from the Naturgy group, using a 6-kilometre pipeline built as part of the project.
The facility, located at the Can Mata Controlled Waste Repository (Els Hostalets de Pierola, Barcelona) and operational since 20 June, will be the first capable of producing 70 GWh of biomethane per year from the recovery of solid waste in Spain, the equivalent to the energy consumption of 14,000 households or fuel for 200 buses. This will prevent over 17,000 tonnes of CO2eq per year from being released into the atmosphere by replacing conventional natural gas. The biomethane produced by this unit is 'ISCC EU' certified, guaranteeing its compliance with the sustainability and greenhouse gas reduction criteria set out by the European Renewable Energy Directive.
The construction and maintenance of the unit is financed by selling biomethane to a private operator through a power purchase agreement. This is the first large-scale biomethane injection project from controlled waste repository gas to be financed using this model in Europe. The initiative, which is disruptive in the renewable energy industry, has obtained a grant of €2.4 million from the European Union through the Innovation Fund (Small Scale) programme for the development of innovative technologies to reduce carbon footprint.
Can Mata Controlled Waste Repository, Barcelona
With a surface area of 78 hectares – the equivalent of around 70 football pitches – it is one of the largest controlled waste repositories in Spain, located in the municipality of Els Hostalets de Pierola, approximately 40 kilometres from Barcelona. PreZero Spain has operated this facility, which treats urban and industrial waste from Barcelona and its surrounding area, for over 30 years, treating more than 22 million tonnes of waste in that time. The waste stored at Can Mata produces almost 40 million cubic metres of biogas per year, used up to now to produce thermal energy for drying concentrates from leachate treatment, as well as for producing electricity and thermal energy to manufacture construction materials. Thanks to this new technology, the controlled waste repository will recover 100% of the biogas.
Cutting-edge technology focused on adding value to landfill biogas
As a result of 15 years' research, the WAGABOX® technology produces biomethane from landfill biogas. This innovation combines membrane filtration and cryogenic distillation to separate methane, an energy gas, from the other gases emitted by waste (oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds). It guarantees energy efficiency that is far superior to solutions based on electricity production, and optimal resource recovery, with no operational constraints for operators of controlled waste repositories. In the past 6 years, 17 units have been commissioned in France, Canada and Spain. A dozen more are under construction in France, Canada and the United States.
Gonzalo Cañete, Chief Executive Officer of PreZero in Spain and Portugal, says: "This is a pioneering project in Spain to convert controlled waste repository biogas into renewable natural gas, perfectly available to be injected into the gas network and used in homes, industries and vehicles, which is going to become an international point of reference on how to move towards achieving the circular economy."
Mathieu Lefebvre, CEO of Waga Energy, comments: "The start-up of the WAGABOX® unit at Can Mata represents a key step in developing biomethane in Spain, a vector for the energy transition, and combatting global warming. The success of this innovative project is the result of an exemplary collaboration between the teams from Waga Energy, PreZero and Nedgia, motivated by the will to take specific action to preserve the environment."
Raúl Suárez, CEO of Nedgia, points out: "The 70 GWh of renewable gas that will be injected through the Can Mata waste repository in Hostalets de Pierola is a clear example of how a project that perfectly combines green energy and the circular economy can become a reality through technology and business collaboration. At Nedgia, we are convinced that projects like this make a great contribution to security of supply, meeting climate and emissions reduction targets for our customers, without any additional investment."
About PreZero Spain and Portugal
With over 16,000 employees, the company provides urban services (waste collection, street cleaning and green area management) to around 12 million people in more than 900 municipalities, and develops circular economy solutions for waste treatment and recycling at the over 130 facilities it operates. The company is part of PreZero International which, with over 30,000 employees in 11 countries, belongs to the Schwarz Group, including Lidl and Kaufland, which are among the leading food retailers in Europe.
About Waga Energy
Waga Energy (EPA: WAGA) is an international renewable energy company that produces biomethane at a competitive price by adding value to controlled waste repository gas and landfill gas using WAGABOX® technology. Waga Energy finances, builds and operates its WAGABOX® units under long-term agreements with operators of controlled repositories to extract gas, which it injects into the distribution network that is supplied to homes and businesses, replacing fossil natural gas and generating revenue from reselling the biomethane. Waga Energy operates 17 WAGABOX® units in Europe, representing an installed capacity of 640 GWh/year, and has 12 other ongoing projects in France, Spain, Canada and the United States. Waga Energy has had a presence in Spain since 2020 and is based in Barcelona. Each project developed by Waga Energy contributes to combatting climate change and achieving the energy transition. Waga Energy is a listed company on Euronext Paris as of 27 October 2021.
About Nedgia
The Naturgy group subsidiary is the leading company for natural gas distribution in Spain, where it operates in 11 Autonomous Communities and 1,150 municipalities. It has over 5.4 million supply points, representing 70% of consumers. Its main assets are its 57,000 kilometres of networks that enable safe and efficient supply of natural gas and renewable gas (biomethane), as well as hydrogen going forward. Innovation, proximity and customer service are part of its raison d'être, and define its activity.
Naturgy is a multinational energy group involved in the electricity and gas business. The company remains firmly committed to producing and distributing renewable gas with three plants in operation and an additional portfolio of around 60 projects in different stages of development that will enable it to incorporate new production of this renewable gas in the short and medium term in Spain, the country with the third greatest potential for biomethane production in Europe.