Bringing B.C.'s capital regional district closer to carbon-neutral with renewable natural gas
At a glance
The Capital Regional District (CRD) in British Columbia (B.C.) wanted to reduce emissions caused by landfill gas by upgrading the biogas generated at their Hartland Landfill facility to renewable natural gas (RNG) to help achieve emissions reduction targets outlined in the CRD's Climate Action Strategy.
The challenge
Hartland Landfill's current biogas to electricity plant was nearing the end of its life and the CRD wanted to continue to capture and upgrade the biogas released from decomposing organic waste in the landfill. Therefore, it was decided that decommissioning the plant and building a new RNG facility at the landfill would be the most effective and beneficial use of the resources.
The RNG facility will accommodate the increase in biogas generated at the landfill and convert it into carbon-neutral energy for the community. The upgraded biogas will be sold to FortisBC to be mixed and used within its existing natural gas distribution system. The project costs are expected to be recovered through the revenue generated by the sale of biogas.
Our response
We are the technical advisor for the collaborative, progressive design build, operate maintain (DBOM) RNG facility procurement and delivery. We supported the CRD by developing the basis of design, technology evaluation and procurement.
As the project continues, we will support the CRD and the proponent for the DBOM, Waga Energy, with detail design reviews, construction, commissioning and acceptance testing of the RNG facility.
The impact
The new RNG facility will reduce the region's greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 450,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 25 years. Through this project, the region continues to make progress on its commitment to take meaningful action on climate change, using renewable natural gas as a stepping stone towards a greener future.