District elects not to pass on gas

It’s a step forward to becoming more environmentally friendly.

The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George announced the approval in principle of an agreement, which will see FortisBC purchase landfill gas from the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill to purify and inject the gas into its natural gas distribution system as Renewable Natural Gas (RNG).

Art Kaehn, Chair for the Regional District, told MyPGNow that this agreement has been 25 years in the coming.

“When the regional district acquired the landfill in 1994, the management of the site has been in the hands of the district. Since that time, the district has been looking at ways to use that landfill gas in a beneficial way,” said Kaehn.

Kaehn describes the project as a ‘break-even proposition’, stating the funds will be used to maintain and expand the landfill gas collection system.

“The greatest benefits to the residents will be that there will be enough natural gas to heat up 1,100 homes, or it will be the equivalent of taking 1,200 cars off of the road.”

Douglas Stout, vice-president of external relations and market development for FortisBC, said the demand for RNG is significant.

“We welcome the opportunity to bring on new supply as we pursue our target of having 15 per cent of our gas supply be renewable by 2030,” said Stout. “If approved, this project will be the first northern Renewable Natural Gas project for FortisBC and will support the development of a locally produced, carbon-neutral energy source in BC.”

When bacteria breaks down organic waste from sources such as landfill sites, agricultural waste, and wastewater treatment facilities, biogas is produced, which is mostly made of methane. FortisBC works with local farmers and municipalities to capture and purify this biogas, which would otherwise escape into the atmosphere, to create RNG.

If approved by the electors and the British Columbia Utilities Commission, the Regional District will continue to be responsible for the ownership and operation of the landfill and landfill gas collection system. FortisBC will pay the District a fixed price per gigajoule for raw landfill gas and will be responsible for the costs associated with purifying and injecting the RNG into the natural gas distribution system.