This week, the Capital Regional District (CRD), has officially started producing Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) at a new facility located at the Hartland Landfill.
The CRD was able to get this facility off the ground by collaborating with FortisBC and Waga Energy Canada, with FortisBC handling the collection and distribution of the RNG.
The Hartland Landfill RNG facility is Vancouver Island’s first RNG facility.
RNG differs from liquid natural gas (LNG) because it is produced from organic waste through a biochemical process and reduces the reliance on fossil fuels.
Basically, gas from the landfill is released from decomposing waste, captured and then injected into FortisBC’s gas system.
When houses use natural gas to heat their homes, RNG cannot be used on its own, but can be mixed with conventional natural gas.
The Hartland RNG facility was originally announced in 2020 costing around $32 million and is designed to produce a maximum of 360,000 gigajoules of RNG annually.
According to the CRD, this could reduce the region’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 475,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 25 years.
For context, the CRD says this is the equivalent of removing the total emissions from 105,000 homes in Canada through the lifetime of the facility.
“The Hartland Landfill Renewable Natural Gas facility represents a significant step forward in our commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Barbara Desjardins, CRD Director and Chair of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee.
“By converting landfill waste into renewable natural gas, we are providing a lower carbon energy source and demonstrating the innovative solutions that are possible when we work together.”
The technology company that collaborated with the CRD and FortisBC on this facility, Waga Energy, will handle operations of the facility on the CRD’s behalf for 25 years.
FortisBC has agreed to pay a fixed price per gigajoule of RNG, and will be responsible for the costs associated with injecting the RNG into its gas distribution system.
