Monday March 22, 2021 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., editor | Island Social Trends
Design and construction of a new facility that will upgrade biosgas generated at Hartland Landfill to renewable natural gas (RNG) is a project underway by the Capital Regional District (CRD).
A Request for Qualifications has been issued by the CRD, as announced today.
This procurement process follows the announcement in April 2020 that the CRD and Fortis BC would be working toward a supply contract for the CRD to sell RNG to FortisBC for beneficial use subject to approval from the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC).
“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a key part of our commitment to take action on climate change,” said Bob Lapham, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) with the CRD.
“Converting the biogas generated at Hartland Landfill to RNG will reduce our region’s emissions by approximately 264,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the life of the project—the equivalent to removing 2,240 cars from the road,” he said in today’s release.
Blending seamlessly with conventional natural gas, RNG is a carbon-neutral energy made from capturing and upgrading the biogas released from decomposing organic waste in the landfill.
A lifecycle greenhouse gas assessment found that decommissioning the electricity plant, a facility nearing the end of its life, and building a new RNG facility at Hartland Landfill is a more effective beneficial use of this resource from a climate change perspective.
Responses will be accepted until April 30, 2021 after which time the CRD will shortlist proponents and initiate an invitational Request for Proposals process this spring season.
The CRD Board delegated authority to the CAO to finalize negotiations with FortisBC on a supply agreement and proceed with procurement for the biogas upgrading facility. As a result, the CRD and FortisBC have executed a supply contract that will be submitted to the BCUC for approval this spring.
If approved, the CRD will continue to be responsible for the ownership and operation of Hartland Landfill, the landfill gas collection system and the biogas upgrading facility. FortisBC will pay a fixed price per gigajoule for the RNG and will be responsible for the costs associated with injecting the RNG in to the natural gas distribution system. FortisBC will begin community outreach on a proposed addition to connect Hartland Landfill to their current gas distribution system later this month.
For details on this Request for Qualifications, please visit https://bit.ly/3f4IyIT. To learn more about this landfill gas project, visit www.crd.bc.ca/RNG.
