The funding will finance part of the construction of a RNG production unit at the Hébertville-Station landfill in Quebec (Canada), owned and operated by the Régie des matières résiduelles du Lac-Saint-Jean (RMR - waste management authority of Lac-Saint-Jean).
The official announcement was made on Tuesday, January 13, by Éric Girard, Minister for Regional Economic Development and Minister Responsible for the Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean region, during a visit to the site. It is the key final stage of the project signed in November 2024 for the construction of the unit.
This government support comes from the Electrification and Climate Change Fund and is part of the 2025-2030 Implementation Plan for the 2030 Green Economy Plan (PEV). The PEV 2030 supports several measures targeting technological development projects, which will help achieve the greenhouse gas emission reduction target set by the Quebec Government. This project is fully in line with the objectives of Quebec and the PEV 2030, which aims to integrate 10 percent of RNG into its gas network by 2030. The collaboration between Waga Energy and the RMR represents a concrete contribution to this objective.
The RMR serves the 50 municipalities in the Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean region and the community of Mashteuiatsh. Waga Energy will build and operate a production unit using its patented WAGABOX technology to convert biogas generated from waste into RNG, a renewable alternative to fossil natural gas. The equipment will produce up to 188,000 MMBtu/year (55 GWh/year), which corresponds to the energy consumption of approximately 2,900 Quebec households. By avoiding the emission of approximately 9,400 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent per year, this project will contribute to reducing the region's carbon footprint, thereby supporting Quebec's climate objectives.
The Hébertville-Station landfill has an annual capacity of 203,500 metric tons of waste. The biogas generated from the decomposition of organic matter is currently captured and burned in a flare. Once the WAGABOX unit is fully operational, this biogas will be purified and injected into Énergir's fossil natural gas distribution network, providing renewable energy to households and businesses in the region.
This is the fifth RNG production project undertaken by Waga Energy in Canada. Four units are already in operation: in Quebec (Saint-Étienne-des-Grès, Cowansville, and Chicoutimi), and in British Columbia (Victoria on Vancouver Island).
“I would like to thank Minister Éric Girard and the Quebec Government for awarding this grant to the project we are carrying out with the waste management authority of Lac-Saint-Jean” said Julie Flynn, CEO of Waga Energy Canada. “This renewed confidence from the government proves once again that the innovative technology of WAGABOX units is attractive and that our mutual commitment to energy transition remains as strong as ever.”
For additional information:
