Valtom, the public authority in charge of the recovery and treatment of household waste in the Puy-de-Dôme and northern Haute-Loire, has announced a new partnership with Waga Energy. Together they will produce biomethane from the Puy-Long waste storage site in Clermont-Ferrand. This collaboration is the first biomethane production project from a “hybrid” biogas source in Europe.
A hybrid unit
The WAGABOX® unit will be installed on the Puy-Long site and will treat the gas emitted by the landfilled waste as well as the biogas from the nearby methanization plant operated by the Vernéa company. This mixture will produce biogas for a biomethane injection project. The production of biomethane guarantees a much higher energy yield than the electricity produced by the combustion of biogas. In addition, renewable energy is easily stored and transported thanks to existing gas infrastructures, which makes it possible to substitute fossil fuels for high-carbon-emitting uses such as industry and transportation.
An innovative project
The WAGABOX® unit will inject up to 15 GWh of biomethane per year into the GRDF network, which is equivalent to the consumption of more than 2,000 homes. The substitution of natural gas will avoid the emission of 2,500 tons of CO2 equivalent per year into the atmosphere. The unit will supply the first alternative fuel refueling station in Clermont-Ferrand, to be commissioned in 2021 in Gandaillat.
An encouraging outlook
Laurent Battut, president of Valtom, said that this innovative project, unique in France, is the result of four years of consultation with government departments. For Mathieu Lefebvre, CEO of Waga Energy, this double valorization project illustrates the possible synergies between an anaerobic digestion plant and a waste storage site, as long as the latter is equipped with a WAGABOX® unit and connected to the gas network. This model contributes to optimizing waste recovery and is expected to become widespread in France and internationally, serving the production of biomethane and the energy transition.
