NC's Randolph County Taps Waga Energy for New RNG Plant

Randolph County, North Carolina has selected Waga Energy to build, own, and operate a renewable natural gas facility at the Great Oak Landfill in Randleman. The 20-year agreement marks Waga Energy's second project in the state and its largest one to date.

>> In Other News: Velocys Product Roadmap Expands Microchannel FT Into Larger SAF Projects

How does the WAGABOX technology work here?

Waga Energy, a French company that produces renewable natural gas from landfill sites, will use its patented WAGABOX technology to upgrade raw landfill gas into pipeline-quality RNG. The process is similar to the one Waga Energy uses at the Hartland Landfill facility in British Columbia, where landfill gas is cleaned and injected directly into the local gas grid.

Waga Energy will also invest in the Great Oak site's gas collection and control system. That upgrade is meant to capture more landfill gas while cutting local emissions at the same time.

"This agreement ensures Randolph County will benefit from the landfill for decades to come."

Darrell Frye, Chairman, Randolph County Board of Commissioners

The landfill is owned by Randolph County and operated by Waste Management of Carolinas, a similar arrangement to how WM operates its Simi Valley RNG facility in California. The North Carolina site opened in January 2017 and now handles up to 4,000 tons of waste per day under its current permit. Randolph County sits in the state's Piedmont region, an area that has also drawn manufacturing investment from Toyota, Energizer, and Post Consumer Brands, according to the county's facility listings on decarbonfuse.com.

Is this Waga Energy's first project in North Carolina?

No. Waga Energy signed its first North Carolina agreement with Rockingham County in 2024 for a site in Madison. The Randolph County project is significantly larger in scale, and it follows a similar pattern to how Terreva Renewables expanded its RNG platform across multiple states after its first facility came online.

North Carolina is not the only state seeing this kind of buildout. Two other RNG facilities in Caldwell and Person counties already convert landfill gas from Republic Services sites, while utilities like Chesapeake Utilities have approved similar RNG infrastructure in Florida. Waga Energy now operates 36 RNG production units across France, Spain, Canada, and the United States, with 21 more under construction worldwide.

"We will create long-term environmental value and a reliable local energy resource for the community."

Guenael Prince, CEO, Waga Energy Inc.

Landfill gas deals like this one echo similar offtake agreements elsewhere, including Avista's RNG purchase agreement in Illinois and Ameresco's RNG plant startup at a similarly sized facility. Minnesota has seen its own version of this trend too, where OPAL Fuels began operations at the state's first landfill-to-RNG facility.

RELATED: Two Renewable Natural Gas Facilities Now Operating in North Carolina

The Randolph County project turns a waste stream that would otherwise vent methane into a long-term local energy source, backed by two decades of contracted operation.

For ongoing coverage of carbon removal, BECCS, and corporate CDR procurement, subscribe to Decarbonfuse.com.