Study to explore biomass district energy heating in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia

Ottawa has announced a $515,000 investment in Nova Scotia-based TorchLight Bioresources to study a district energy system that would connect over 90 per cent of buildings in the community and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and heating costs for citizens in New Glasgow, N.S.

The feasibility study will design a heat network that uses renewable biomass and wind energy.

We’re investing $515K in TorchLight Bioresources of New Glasgow, NS, to study a new district energy system that would connect over 90% of buildings in the community to renewable energy, reduce emissions & cut heating costs. #CleanEnergy pic.twitter.com/mhKLr0XHw3

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— Natural Resources (@NRCan) June 6, 2022

The Town of New Glasgow, TorchLight, Rathco ENG based in Guelph, the Federation of Nova Scotia Woodland Owners and ACFOR (a small New Brunswick-based ecological forestry company) are also contributing to the project, bringing the total investment to $755,000.

Federal funding for this project is provided by Natural Resources Canada’s Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways (SREPs) program.

“We are incredibly thankful to Natural Resources Canada for supporting this project and to the Town of New Glasgow for placing its trust in us,” said Jamie Stephen, Ph.D., managing director of TorchLight Bioresources.

“We are excited to engage with the residents and businesses of New Glasgow to determine if a biomass district heating system is the best energy option for the community. District energy systems are proven to provide significant local economic and community resiliency benefits, and we are eager to work with the Town of New Glasgow to design a system that maximizes these benefits for New Glaswegians.”

New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks said the town is actively working to advance ambitious climate action to reduce local GHG emissions, improve community resilience and support local economic development.

“Decarbonizing heating is essential to lowering our greenhouse gas emissions. This project is an exciting opportunity to explore a low-carbon pathway for community heating and to meaningfully address energy poverty through a reliable pricing model. Heating with local sustainable biomass can create new jobs, support the Nova Scotia forestry sector and grow our local economy. We are grateful for the funding support from Natural Resources Canada and look forward to working with the team at TorchLight Bioresources,” Dicks said.

This article is part of the Bioheat Week 2023. Read more articles about bioheat in Canada.