Kern County Public Works has selected Waga Energy to upgrade their naturally occurring landfill gas at its Bena Landfill into pipeline-quality RNG following a competitive Request for Proposals process. Bena Landfill is a municipal solid waste landfill located outside the city of Bakersfield, California, owned and operated by Kern County Public Works.
This project will utilize the WAGABOX® technology, developed and patented by Waga?Energy, to upgrade biogas into RNG. Once operational, the WAGABOX® unit, with a capacity to process 3,000 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm) of landfill gas, will produce more than 550,000 MMBtu (160 GWh) of RNG per year over the term of the agreement, delivering gas to the local Kinder Morgan pipeline and providing the community with a reliable and renewable source of energy.
The project will offset approximately 30,000 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions annually and improve the region’s air quality by capturing methane, a major air pollutant, and purifying it into RNG. This reduction is equivalent to the emissions generated by heating 12,000 homes per year. By producing pipeline-quality RNG, the project supports the circular economy and decreases reliance on fossil fuels with a local and renewable source of energy.
“This agreement supports advancing environmental stewardship at our Bena Landfill, while creating value for our community”, says Kern County Public Works Assistant Director Lisa Shreder. The University of California (UC), the world’s leading public research university and the third-largest employer in California, will purchase the RNG produced through a 20-year off-take agreement. This partnership plays a pivotal role in supporting the UC’s ambitious sustainability agenda, aligning with regional efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and utilize local alternatives to fossil fuels.
The WAGABOX® facility at the Bena Landfill is Waga Energy’s third project of RNG production in California to date, and is scheduled to be commissioned in 2027. As a result of 15 years of development, Waga Energy’s patented WAGABOX® technology revolutionizes landfill gas upgrading by combining membrane filtration with cryogenic distillation. It maximizes the renewable energy production of landfills by ensuring the production of pipeline-quality RNG, regardless of landfill gas variations in flow rate and composition.
“We are thrilled to develop a third WAGABOX® unit in California, a state with a strong decarbonization ambition, and with immense potential for our solution. This partnership with Kern County Public Works and the University of California marks an important milestone in our development” concludes Guénaël Prince, CEO of Waga Energy USA. “Supplying RNG produced in California for local use by the UC highlights the success of public-private collaboration in advancing the state’s ambitious decarbonization goals.”
