Waste Connections to invest $50M in Chatham RNG facility
Waste Connections of Canada has announced plans to build a renewable natural gas (RNG) facility at the Waste Connections Ridge Landfill in Chatham-Kent. The renewable natural gas will then flow through new and existing Enbridge Gas infrastructure to transport to market.
Waste Connections of Canada says it will invest over $50 million to develop the proposed facility, which will capture landfill gas generated by decomposing waste and transform it into low carbon renewable natural gas. From there, the RNG created will be injected into Enbridge Gas’ local natural gas distribution system.
The project is expected to reduce an excess of 110,000 tonnes of GHG emissions annually, or about enough green energy to heat more than 18,000 homes annually.
“Waste Connections’ commitment to sustainability through significant investment in facilities like this enables the company to provide consumers with a reliable source of renewable natural gas,” said company president Dan Pio. “Waste Connections operates eight of these RNG facilities including one of the largest in North America. We’re proud to reduce emissions an excess of 110,000 tonnes of GHG per year in the municipality of Chatham-Kent.”
The proposed project includes construction at the Waste Connections Ridge Landfill of a new landfill gas recovery and upgrading facility and an RNG injection station. A new 4-inch diameter, 5.7 km pipeline will also be put in place that will run from Enbridge Gas’ Chatham East Line at Blenheim North Station to the new injection station located at the Waste Connections Ridge Landfill. The Ridge RNG facility will be comprised of an upgrading and compression system to convert landfill gas to high-quality renewable natural gas.
This state-of-the-art project will transform Waste Connections Ridge Landfill waste into low-carbon energy, which will be injected into the local natural gas distribution system. Using renewable natural gas as a low-carbon energy source to heat homes, power businesses and fuel vehicle fleets effectively helps companies and communities achieve Ontario’s GHG reduction goal.
Construction of the facility would create close to 50 development and construction jobs as well as several permanent operational jobs.
“The $50-million investment into our community is very important from an economic standpoint as are the 50 jobs that will be created,” said Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff. “The fact that the project involves using technology to convert what is essentially a waste by-product into a gas that will heat our homes and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions makes it even better.”
If approved by the Ontario Energy Board, construction could begin in the spring of 2023 and be complete by the end of that year.