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7 min ago 3 min read
US-based waste management firm Casella Waste Systems and Waga Energy have started operations at a renewable natural gas (RNG) production facility at the McKean Landfill in Pennsylvania, US.
The facility at the landfill in Mount Jewett uses Waga Energy’s Wagabox technology to upgrade landfill gas into pipeline-quality RNG, also called biomethane.
With an installed processing capacity of 2,000 SCFM (3,200 cubic metres per hour), the facility is expected to produce up to 407,000 MMBtu (120 GWh) of renewable gas annually. Production will ramp up as landfill gas volumes at the site increase.
The RNG will be injected directly into the National Fuel Gas network, providing a renewable alternative to fossil natural gas in the region.
According to the companies, the project is expected to avoid around 31,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions annually, based on US Environmental Protection Agency standards.
The climate benefits of landfill RNG are not automatic, however. The EPA has warned that methane leakage across the production and supply chain can undermine the environmental case for RNG, with the overall impact dependent in part on gas collection efficiency and fugitive emissions.
McKean is the third RNG facility by Casella and Waga Energy this year, following projects at the Chemung County Landfill and Hyland Landfill.
The three projects complete a partnership agreement signed between the companies in 2023.
Under the agreement, Waga Energy funded the construction of the facilities and will own and operate each project for 20 years, with Casella and Waga Energy sharing revenue generated from RNG sales.
“Bringing this facility online at our McKean Landfill is another important step in our efforts to recover more value from the materials we manage,” said Ned Coletta, President and CEO of Casella Waste Systems.
Guénaël Prince, CEO of Waga Energy, said the commissioning demonstrated the “commitment and execution capabilities” of the two companies and highlighted the partnership model as a means of transforming landfill gas into renewable energy.
Waga Energy currently operates 38 RNG production units across France, Spain, Canada and the US, representing more than 7.1 million MMBtu (2.1 TWh) of annual installed capacity.
The company also has 19 RNG production units under construction worldwide.
In January 2026, Waga Energy was of CA$15m ($10.8m) from Quebec’s Ministry of Economy, Innovation, and Energy for a biomethane production project.
In July, the company signed a €128m to drive biomethane development.
