The City of Prince George could soon have another gas resource.
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George has announced today (April 18) they have given approval to an agreement in principle that would see FortisBC purchase landfill gas from the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill to mainly purify and inject gas into its natural gas distribution system which would be Renewable Natural Gas.
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George is now going to seek approval from electors because the project spans over 20 years. If the project is given the green light by electors, the regional district and FortisBC will then finalize their agreement which would then go to the British Columbia Utilities Commission for approval.
“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,” Douglas Stout, vice-president of external relations and market development, FortisBC says in a release. “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 B.C.”
FortisBC says this energy source works seamlessly with conventional natural gas already in their distribution system, which will overall lower carbon intensity of the natural gas being delivered.
“Since 2002, the Regional District has been capturing landfill gas and flaring it to convert the methane to carbon dioxide and water,” Art Kaehn, Chairman, RDFFG adds in the release. “The proposed agreement with FortisBC helps us achieve our goal of finding a beneficial use for landfill gas while further reducing the environmental impact of our solid waste facilities.”
According to the release, Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill currently enough landfill gas to produce approximately 70,000-100,000 gigajoules (GJs) which FortisBC says can heat up to 1,100 homes on 100 per cent RNG.
If approved, FortisBC would not take over operations of the landfill, which will leave the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George still being responsible for the ownership and operation of the landfill and landfill gas collection system.
FortisBC on the other hand would pay the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George a fixed price per GJ for raw landfill gas while also covering costs involving purifying and injecting the RNG into the natural gas distribution system.
