A new renewable natural gas (RNG) facility will be up and running at the Vancouver Landfill in Delta by the spring of 2025.
That’s the latest update from FortisBC on the system now under construction, a partnership between FortisBC and the City of Vancouver, that will clean the landfill gas so that it can be injected into the natural gas pipeline as RNG.
Once commissioned, approximately 225,000-to-250,000 gigajoules of RNG will be produced annually from the landfill.
“One of the many ways FortisBC is working to reduce emissions is by increasing the amount of renewable and low-carbon gases, like RNG, in our gas system. The gas system plays a vital role in safely, reliably and affordably meeting the energy needs of British Columbians and with RNG, FortisBC can continue to do that while helping customers lower overall emissions,” FortisBC states.
When organic waste decomposes, it releases greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere, but the utility is working with suppliers like farmers, landfills operators and local governments, to capture and turn that gas into RNG to displace conventional natural gas.
Earlier this year, a large-scale greenhouse cannabis growing operation in East Ladner made the switch to RNG with a new production facility that utilizes methane gas from the Vancouver Landfill.
Village Farms International Inc., which owns the greenhouse operated by its subsidiary Pure Sunfarms, started operating the RNG facility in partnership with Atlanta-based Terreva Renewables (Terreva).
Subsidiary Village Farms Clean Energy Inc. had decommissioned an existing cogeneration system to have a new facility constructed to process the landfill gas.
The end product is RNG, which would be sold to FortisBC, and carbon dioxide, which will be used in the greenhouse.
Village Farms previously explained that its the renewed and extended landfill gas contract with the City of Vancouver, which operates the landfill, enables the operation to transition to a more attractive long-term business model based on the conversion to high-demand RNG, which will also generate food-grade liquid CO2, significantly reducing the reliance on natural gas to produce CO2 in their operations.
As a biofuel, RNG generates low-to-negative carbon emissions and is playing an integral role in the global transition to low-carbon energy sources by both offsetting fossil fuels and serving as a direct replacement for natural gas, the company stated.
A recent Metro Vancouver Climate 2050 Progress Report provides a status update on progress towards the regional district’s Climate 2050 goals.
That report notes that between 2010 and 2022, Metro Vancouver’s population increased by 22 percent, and regional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased by nine percent. The increase was driven by growth in emissions from buildings, industrial facilities and non-road engines including construction and other equipment.
At the same time, effective climate policies and solutions are starting to have positive impacts, the report notes.
For example, since 2010, GHG emissions per person dropped 10 per cent annually, while emissions in some sectors such as on-road transportation have reduced.
The report adds clean energy technologies are also becoming more available and affordable, such as heat pumps, solar panels, electric vehicles and batteries for energy storage.
“Total regional emissions are expected to be reduced in future years, provided that Climate 2050 and policies from other orders of government continue to be supported, resourced, and implemented, alongside continued development and roll-out of clean technology. Expanded and accelerated climate action in the region is needed to achieve GHG reduction and resilience to climate impacts, to align with global efforts needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change,” the Metro report notes.
