New P.E.I. waste-to-energy facility aims to reduce emissions, increase burning capacity

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A brand new $80 million facility will assist decrease emissions and cut back oil consumption for P.E.I.’s waste-to-energy service and Charlottetown’s district power system.

The brand new facility, which shall be constructed behind P.E.I. Vitality Techniques’ current plant on Riverside Drive, will function new emissions controls and expertise, permitting it to absorb extra waste whereas emitting fewer pollution.

“We hope to modernize the plant and broaden the waste processing capability to about 42,000 to 46,000 tons, cut back the quantity of waste going to landfill by about 75 per cent and cut back the oil consumption of the district heating system by about 72 per cent,” stated David Godkin, common supervisor of P.E.I. Vitality Techniques.

At the moment, the plant generates 40 megawatts of low-carbon power and gives 145 buildings all through Charlottetown with thermal power, together with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Culinary Institute of Canada.

Godkin stated these metrics will probably keep the identical with the brand new facility, nonetheless, it can assist make it extra environment friendly and sustainable.

“The massive drivers behind it are greenhouse fuel emissions, so decreasing, for the island particularly, greenhouse fuel emissions, decreasing oil consumption and making the system extra sustainable on the finish of the day,” he stated.

Capability can be an enormous motivator for the brand new facility. The elevated capability will assist cut back the quantity of waste being put into landfills on the Island.

Godkin stated the present facility burns 26,000 tons of waste a 12 months, nonetheless, their objective for the brand new facility is 46,000 tons.

As a part of the modernization of the power, the brand new plant will incorporate the present emissions instruments whereas additionally including new expertise and tools, together with upgrading the air emissions system.

Godkin stated the brand new facility and the tools shall be designed to the European emission requirements versus Canadian requirements.

“Proper now, so far as I do know, European emission requirements are extra stringent in some jurisdictions,” he stated. “The EU has been, in my thoughts, extra progressive in power from waste and power from waste expertise, particularly incorporating it into district power. There are only a few main cities within the EU that don’t make the most of power from waste for district power.”

Godkin stated related amenities throughout Canada have additionally adopted the EU emissions requirements, such because the Durham York facility in Cortice, Ont. He stated P.E.I. Vitality Techniques has seemed to that plant for inspiration for its growth.

Nonetheless, whereas the power is ready to make use of much less wooden and oil for fuels and decrease the emissions from the present plant, some really feel there are higher options to burning waste for power.

“It simply appears to me that nowadays, we shouldn’t be burning all that stuff. Burning waste is just not renewable,” stated Gary Schneider, co-chair of the Environmental Coalition of P.E.I. 

“I don’t suppose you may ever burn plastic cleanly. You might be being environment friendly I suppose with (burning waste), however what we should always have been doing all alongside, and what I hope we shall be doing finally is to cease producing a lot waste.”

“It simply appears to me that nowadays, we shouldn’t be burning all that stuff.” — Environmental Coalition of P.E.I. co-chair Gary Schneider

Outdoors of waste manufacturing, Schneider stated he’s involved with how a lot wooden chips are utilized by the waste-to-energy plant and the quantity of carbon created to acquire these wooden chips, which have been sometimes sourced from crimson pine plantations.

“Once we took a number of the plastics out (of waste burning), that are the upper temperature wastes, as a result of we have been recycling them, we began placing extra wooden chips into the incinerator. That’s one other stress on our forest that we don’t want and may’t afford,” he stated.

Whereas P.E.I. has a greater recycling system than another provinces, Schneider stated he wish to see extra carried out to scale back waste, corresponding to implementing a payment for companies that use and distribute wastes corresponding to cups, donut containers or different merchandise that should be recycled or put right into a landfill.

P.E.I. Vitality Techniques is hoping to tender out the undertaking this 12 months, with an anticipated development begin date someday in 2023. Nonetheless, they first want to finish a provincial environmental affect evaluation.

As step one of the EIA, the corporate held an open home on June 28, permitting the general public to look over the plans for the growth and ask any questions they may have.

From there, Godkin stated there are nonetheless a number of hurdles to cope with, corresponding to buying related environmental approvals and permits and provincial air high quality permits.

“As we undergo this course of, we’re going to be taking a look at impacts to the surroundings, aquatic environments, air emissions, these sorts of issues,” he stated. “These are all key elements of growing and constructing this undertaking.”

As soon as the brand new facility is constructed, which is anticipated to be in late 2024 or early 2025, Godkin stated the present plant shall be decommissioned. He stated at the moment there are not any plans for the time being for the previous, current area.

“There shall be further area for if we wish to take a look at different applied sciences, which is among the issues district power does let you do,” he stated. “It permits you to preserve your choices open and make some modifications, so if one other expertise comes alongside that may displace the stability of the oil now we have, we will really incorporate that into the present area.”

Cody McEachern is a reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. He could be reached by electronic mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter at @CodyInHiFi.