StormFisher expands Ontario facility with third digester, RNG upgrading system

StormFisher, a leader in circular economy decarbonization solutions, has increased its organic waste processing capacity through the construction of a third anaerobic digester at its London facility. Accompanied by a renewable natural gas (RNG) upgrading system, the plant is now the largest food waste anaerobic digestion facility in Canada, repurposing food waste to provide heat to 2,500 homes in Ontario and also support transport with sustainable fuel.

This expansion was made possible by StormFisher’s partnership with Generate, a leading North American sustainable infrastructure company, which owns and operates the London plant in partnership with StormFisher.

“Generate is thrilled to partner with StormFisher to build this additional capacity at the London facility,” said Bill Caesar, president of Generate’s waste-to-value business. “It’s critical to keep building smart, sustainable, circular and affordable waste management infrastructure like this to meet the challenges of the global climate crisis. This expands our ongoing commitment to be the leading provider of sustainable solutions for organic waste in North America.”

StormFisher began constructing the third anaerobic digester in 2020, which increases food waste intake capacity by 30 percent. The additional digester was constructed by Greatario, a leader in engineered storage systems, whose expertise has helped StormFisher continue to provide great service with best-in-class technology and infrastructure.

The StormFisher facility helps municipalities and businesses meet the requirements to divert waste from landfills in the Ontario Food and Organic Waste Policy. Ontario’s policy requires municipalities to implement green bin programs, initiating an organic waste diversion framework for food waste in the industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) sector. Now, with its increased capacity, StormFisher is helping the province work towards more sustainable practices. StormFisher was recently awarded the City of Toronto’s green-bin contract.

“Our in-house team of expert engineers, maintenance technicians and operators allows StormFisher to provide the best service to both our feedstock providers and energy customers,” said Pearce Fallis, vice-president of operations at StormFisher. “This new digester is part of our commitment to bringing innovative solutions for organic waste to market, and an exciting part of our growth in capabilities across waste collection, anaerobic digestion, biogas production, and RNG upgrading.”

StormFisher has also expanded its renewable energy offerings with a renewable natural gas upgrading system that provides energy for heat as well as transportation to customers in Canada – all from renewable, sustainable sources. StormFisher can produce 225,000 gigajoules of RNG – enough energy to displace over 6.2 million liters of diesel fuel. This past summer alone, StormFisher provided FortisBC with over 60,000 GJ of energy through a long-term partnership.

“Increasing our supply of RNG is key to our 30BY30 target – our goal to reduce our customers’ emissions by 30 per cent by 2030,” said David Bennett, director of renewable gas and low carbon fuels at FortisBC. “We value our partnership with StormFisher and expect to receive up to 225,000 gigajoules of RNG each year, which is enough energy to heat around 2,400 BC homes annually.”

StormFisher’s leadership in circular economy solutions is paving the way for economic development in London and the surrounding area. Already, StormFisher’s London plant has attracted additional food processors to the area, supplying more jobs and growth to local communities.

This growth has been recognized by the London Economic Development Corporation. Kapil Lakhotia, president and CEO, said, “This is a welcome investment in innovative technologies to turn food waste into clean, renewable energy that helps meet greenhouse gas emissions targets while creating local jobs.”