RNG offtake agreement approved at Net Zero Waste Abbotsford

Approval has been granted by the British Columbia Utilities Commission for EverGen Infrastructure Corp.’s anaerobic digester expansion project in Abbotsford. The renewable natural gas (RNG) offtake agreement with FortisBC Energy Inc. will see that carbon-neutral RNG is supplied to meet the needs of 1,900 homes in the metro Vancouver area.

EverGen had previously announced that NZWA – its wholly owned subsidiary – entered into a 20-year offtake agreement with FortisBC in which FortisBC is to purchase up to 173,000 gigajoules of RNG annually for injection into its natural gas system.

This marks the final regulatory step with respect to the NZWA offtake agreement. Upon completion of NZWA project development and construction activities, EverGen expects to begin supplying RNG from the project to FortisBC’s network by early 2023.

“The approval of the RNG offtake agreement for our anerobic digester project by BCUC marks an important milestone for the NZWA expansion project and moves the facility one step closer to having an even greater positive impact on our environment and reducing the negative effects of climate change,” EverGen co-founder and CEO Chase Edgelow, said. “Not only does our renewable natural gas platform and this project provide a positive solution and the highest end use for organic waste in the Lower Mainland region, it is also contributing to the use of carbon-neutral renewable fuel sources and captures emissions that would otherwise be released into the environment.”

Carbon-neutral RNG is made from decomposing organic waste, displacing conventional natural gas in existing natural gas lines and reducing the emissions from the natural gas system. Increasing the amount of renewable gas in FortisBC’s system is key to the organization achieving its 30BY30 target – an ambitious goal to reduce its customers’ greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2030. FortisBC’s 30BY30 target is among the most ambitious emissions reductions targets in the Canadian utility sector, and its renewable gas targets align with the provincial government’s goals in its CleanBC plan.

“Renewable natural gas is key to a lower carbon future for B.C., capturing methane that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere and repurposing it as carbon neutral energy in our existing natural gas system,” Scott Gramm, manager of renewable gas supply with FortisBC, said. “Adding new RNG supply is crucial in lowering provincial emissions, and we’re happy to welcome EverGen to our list of RNG suppliers who are helping make that possible.”