Case Study: Steuben County Landfill, Bath (NY, USA)

Steuben County has long treated its landfill in Bath as more than a disposal site. Since the county began operating its own solid waste system in the 1970s, it has gradually built an integrated public service around the landfill, including transfer stations, recycling programs, environmental monitoring and a leachate pre-treatment plant. The question was no longer only how to manage waste safely, but how to make better use of the resources generated by that activity.

One of these resources is landfill gas. At the site in Bath, as on all landfills, organic matter decomposes and releases a methane-rich gas that must be captured to control environmental impacts. For a public landfill operator, the next step is to turn this captured gas into biomethane, a renewable gas upgraded to pipeline quality and used as a substitute for fossil natural gas. In the United States, biomethane is commonly referred to as Renewable Natural Gas, or RNG; both terms describe the same product.

The county had long been committed to recovering value from this gas. As early as 2011, it commissioned a landfill-gas-to-electricity plant that generated power on site — an early demonstration of Steuben County’s forward-looking approach to renewable energy. As the electricity market evolved and the first-generation facility reached the end of its operating life, the county chose to look for a more efficient, longer-term way to make use of its landfill gas. In the meantime, the gas continued to be captured and flared to control emissions, pending a new solution.

Steuben County therefore launched a request for proposals to identify a partner able to recover the landfill gas produced at its landfill in Bath over the long term. The objective was not simply to install a piece of equipment, but to secure a reliable project capable of delivering technical performance, financing and integration with the local energy system.

Waga Energy responded to the county’s request for proposals with an integrated business model rather than a conventional equipment-supply offer. Its response combined four components: a proprietary technology designed for landfill gas, project financing carried by Waga Energy, a long-term operating service delivered by the company’s teams, and responsibility for selling the biomethane produced.

Under the 20-year agreement, Waga Energy develops, finances, builds, owns and operates the WAGABOX® unit installed at Steuben County’s landfill in Bath. This structure gives Steuben County access to a complete biomethane production solution without having to become the investor, technology provider or plant operator itself.

Developed and patented by Waga Energy, the WAGABOX® technology combines membrane filtration and cryogenic distillation. This process is specifically designed to treat landfill gas, including when its composition changes, and to produce biomethane that complies with gas grid requirements.

This model also organizes the roles of the partners clearly. Steuben County provides the landfill gas resource and the operating context of the site. Waga Energy takes responsibility for the biomethane production asset, its performance over time and the sale of the biomethane produced, with the revenues generated shared with Steuben County. The biomethane is then injected into the local gas network, making it available to energy consumers.

Commissioned on March 15, 2024, the WAGABOX® unit installed in Bath can produce up to 207,000 MMBtu, or around 60 GWh, of biomethane per year. This renewable gas is injected into the local network, supplying an alternative to fossil natural gas.

At full capacity, the facility produces the energy equivalent of approximately 1.5 million gallons of diesel fuel annually. By replacing fossil energy with biomethane, the project avoids around 13,500 tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions each year, based on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Landfill Gas Energy Benefits Calculator.

The project is also a milestone for Waga Energy’s international development: it is the company’s first WAGABOX® unit in the United States and the first municipal deployment of this technology in the country. Building on the county’s early efforts to recover its landfill gas, the new unit increased landfill-gas capture, because a more valuable end-product encourages better management of the gas collection system. It shows how an average-sized municipal landfill can become a source of local renewable energy, delivering greater methane abatement and lasting value for the community.

Speaking at the project’s inauguration following the start-up of the WAGABOX® unit, Kelly R. Fitzpatrick, Chair of the Steuben County Legislature, emphasized the significance of the milestone for the county: “This is a wonderful day for us and for future generations. Steuben County is proud to partner with Waga Energy and CNG to bring this project into reality.”

Eric Rose, Commissioner of Public Works for Steuben County, also highlighted the quality of the partnership: “The Wagateam demonstrated that they had great technical and professional resources to develop this project.”

By converting a local waste-management by-product into biomethane, the Steuben County project illustrates a practical pathway for reducing methane emissions, supplying renewable energy and creating value for local communities.

• Location: Steuben County’s landfill in Bath, New York, United States
• Customer: Steuben County
• Project developer and operator: Waga Energy
• Technology: WAGABOX® landfill gas upgrading unit
• Start-up date: March 15, 2024
• Agreement: 20-year contract
• Annual production capacity: up to 207,000 MMBtu (60 GWh) of biomethane
• Climate impact: around 13,500 tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions avoided per year, based on the EPA Landfill Gas Energy Benefits Calculator