Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. (PWS), one of North America’s largest full-service waste management companies, has officially opened its renewable natural gas facility, the largest of its kind in Canada and one of the biggest in North America. The facility located in Terrebonne, Quebec, near Montreal, is converting landfill gas to natural gas which is then delivered to the TransCanada pipeline network, via an injection point adjacent to the landfill site.
The facility is designed to process approximately 10,000 cubic feet (283 m3) per minute of incoming landfill gas. The gas generated at the site is the equivalent of fueling 1,500 trucks for 20 years. The new plant will also result in the avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over a 10-year period. Landfill gas is recognized as a renewable energy source by regulators across North America.
“We are extremely proud to open this renewable natural gas facility and convert naturally occurring landfill gas into a renewable energy source that is an alternative to fossil fuels,” said Mr. Dan Pio, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. “Our investment in this facility, along with the investment we are making to convert certain portions of our collection fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG) from diesel fuel, demonstrates our commitment to environmentally sustainable practices as well as reducing our carbon footprint.”
The development and construction of the facility cost approximately $44 million (CAD) and created about 100 development and construction jobs and five operational jobs.
“Today’s announcement is a remarkable example of energy innovation, one that will have far-reaching effects for Quebec. Rather than simply burning off landfill gas, it will be transformed into green, renewable energy that will replace up to 350,000 barrels of oil per year. I congratulate the company for meeting this significant technological challenge while still complying with the strictest standards in North America for injecting natural gas into a gas grid,” stated Quebec’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Minister responsible for Plan Nord, and Minister responsible for the Lanaudiere region, Mr. Pierre Arcand.
“In addition to helping revitalize our economy, technological innovation and knowhow are key factors to finding solutions for the environmental challenges we face, especially in the context of climate change. We encourage Vision Enviro Progressive to continue its efforts and to help transition toward a greener society. Together, we must continue to innovate in order to ensure our children’s quality of life,” added Mr. David Heurtel, Quebec’s Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change.
Progressive Waste Solutions also operates the largest fleet of CNG-powered collection trucks in the Canadian waste and recyclables collection industry. Currently, it operates approximately 200 CNG powered vehicles in Canada and through its normal fleet replacement is on track to have up to 55% of the total number of vehicles it replaces annually in Canada and the U.S. fuelled by CNG.
(Source: Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd)
