FortisBC proposes renewable natural gas project in British Columbia

British Columbia’s Regional District of Fraser-Fort George (RDFFG) has announced approval in principal for an agreement under which FortisBC will purify and inject landfill gas into its distribution network as renewable natural gas (RNG).

FortisBC will purchase landfill gas from the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill in Prince George. The facility currently generates enough gas to produce up to 100,000 gigajoules of RNG per year, enough to heat over 1,000 homes in British Columbia (B.C).

“The demand for RNG is significant. We welcome the opportunity to bring on new supply as we pursue our target of having 15% of our gas supply be renewable by 2030," said Douglas Stout, vice-president of external relations and market development at FortisBC. "If approved, this project will be the first northern renewable natural gas project for FortisBC and will support the development of a locally produced, carbon neutral energy source in B.C."

According to the release, FortisBC currently works with five RNG suppliers and owns and operates two RNG purification plants on existing landfills.

"Since 2002, the Regional District has been capturing landfill gas and flaring it to convert the methane to carbon dioxide and water," said Art Kaehn, chairman of RDFFG. "The proposed agreement with FortisBC helps us achieve our goal of finding a beneficial use for landfill gas while further reducing the environmental impact of our solid waste facilities."

Following receipt of approvals from electors and the British Columbia Utilities Commission, FortisBC will pay RDFFG a fixed price per gigajoule of energy for raw landfill gas.