B.C. investing $4.28 million into Vancouver landfill project to produce renewable natural gas

Turning landfill emissions into renewable natural gas (RNG) will result in cleaner air, stronger communities and more economic opportunities, British Columbia’s minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy says about CleanBC’s latest project.

George Heyman says Vancouver’s landfill project is expected to remove about 485,000 tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent over the next decade, providing an opportunity to replace fossil fuels and provide people, businesses and the city with low-carbon alternatives made from organic waste.

The provincial government is investing $4.28 million to expand the Vancouver landfill’s gas-capture system through the CleanBC Industry Fund, with matching funds from the City of Vancouver. Renewable gas is created when organic materials naturally break down in landfill and release greenhouse gases, including methane and carbon dioxide.

“The City of Vancouver is taking action across our operations to address the climate emergency and build a cleaner economy for everyone,” Sarah Kirby-Yung, deputy mayor and councillor, City of Vancouver, said. “By working with the province, we’re able to capture more carbon pollution at the Vancouver landfill and use it to power the city’s activities and create new low-carbon opportunities in the local economy.”

The project will expand the current landfill gas-collection system by installing a system of wells, collectors and piping to capture methane and carbon dioxide that would otherwise be vented to the atmosphere. Landfill gases will be transported for refining into usable renewable natural gas that will be sold to FortisBC and incorporated into the company’s natural-gas distribution system for residents, businesses and the city’s buildings, vehicles and neighbourhood energy utility.

“The Vancouver landfill project is our largest renewable natural gas project to date and a key part of our 30BY30 plan to reduce customers’ greenhouse gas emission by 30 per cent by 2030,” Joe Mazza, vice-president of energy supply and resource development, FortisBC, said. “FortisBC is working with the province through CleanBC and making substantial investments in innovation, energy efficiency and renewable natural gas to ensure we build a cleaner economy together.”

The Vancouver landfill project is part of a larger round of CleanBC Industry Fund investment in 22 projects throughout the province that will reduce emission in sectors such as mining, pulp and paper, and oil and gas.