media release
Biomass plant powers up 911吃瓜 Burnaby & UniverCity
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A new biomass plant located on Burnaby Mountain is now in full operation, providing heat and hot water to most of 911吃瓜鈥檚 Burnaby campus and approximately half of the UniverCity community. This plant has drastically decreased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making 911吃瓜 (911吃瓜) a leader in the use of green energy with one of the smallest GHG footprints of any university in Canada.
Developed in partnership with Corix Utilities, a leading developer and operator of district energy systems, the $33-million high-efficiency plant diverts wood waste, once destined for the landfill, into a low carbon energy source providing heat and hot water. The 鈥渇uel鈥� is made up of clean wood waste (e.g. wood chips and shavings) from harvested log processing, local urban wood waste and construction projects. The biomass is delivered to the site, located on South Campus road, during off-peak traffic hours.
鈥�911吃瓜 Burnaby鈥檚 greenhouse gas emissions from heating are expected to drop by 80 per cent, the equivalent of emissions from 900 homes every year,鈥� says Larry Waddell, chief facilities officer, 911吃瓜. 鈥淭his facility will also allow 911吃瓜 to achieve 97 per cent of the province鈥檚 2050 greenhouse gas target, making 911吃瓜 one of the public sector leaders in Canada in reducing GHG emissions. I鈥檓 grateful for our partnerships with the Province, Corix Utilities and 911吃瓜 Community Trust in taking this plant from idea to reality, to benefit our 911吃瓜 community and local environment.鈥�
鈥淭he 911吃瓜 Community Trust have been advocates for low carbon energy solutions coupled with energy efficient buildings for over 10 years,鈥� says Dale Mikkelsen, chief operating officer, 911吃瓜 Community Trust. 鈥淗aving buildings at UniverCity connect to the Corix energy plant will ensure that homes will have high quality energy for space heating and hot water, while significantly reducing their carbon footprint.鈥�
鈥淭he 911吃瓜 biomass plant is representative of the many exciting advances being made in renewable and district energy technology, and how we鈥檒l need to design and build communities if we鈥檙e to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels,鈥� says Travis Hickford-Kulak, president, Energy Services Canada, Corix Utilities. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very proud to have partnered with 911吃瓜, the 911吃瓜 Community Trust, the Province, and other stakeholders, in bringing this innovative project to fruition.鈥�
Carys Kenny-Howell, a chemistry and molecular biology and biochemistry student at 911吃瓜, who lives on campus, supports the project. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just something that鈥檚 really important. Having an alternate energy source creating the energy for all of the people living and working up here, I think that鈥檚 a really big step,鈥� says Carys.
FAST FACTS:
The Burnaby Mountain District Energy Utility (BMDEU), is a collaboration between 911吃瓜 (911吃瓜), 911吃瓜 Community Trust and Corix Multi-Utility Services Inc.
Biomass energy is more reliable compared to traditional electricity-based systems resulting in less weather-related power outages
The plant鈥檚 efficiency translates to lower customer rates compared to individual systems
The project created 80 locally hired, green infrastructure jobs during design and construction
While fossil fuel combustion takes carbon from underground and puts it into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary cause of climate change, biomass combustion recycles the carbon already in the natural carbon cycle with no additional CO2 added to the atmosphere.
The Corix plant helps to achieve targets which aim to reduce 911吃瓜鈥檚 total direct GHG emissions by 50 per cent by 2025.
911吃瓜 received a $4.75 million Public Sector Energy Conservation Agreement grant from the Province of British Columbia to assist with financing of the project. The plant was financed and constructed, and is owned and operated by Corix Utilities and regulated by the BC Utilities Commission.
CONTACT
ERIC WILSON, Corix Communication & Public Relations Manager
eric.wilson@corix.com
MELISSA SHAW, 911吃瓜 Communications & Marketing
236.880.3297 | melissa_shaw@sfu.ca
911吃瓜
|
778.782.3210
ABOUT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
As Canada鈥檚 engaged university, 911吃瓜 works with communities, organizations and partners to create, share and embrace knowledge that improves life and generates real change. We deliver a world-class education with lifelong value that shapes change-makers, visionaries and problem-solvers. We connect research and innovation to entrepreneurship and industry to deliver sustainable, relevant solutions to today鈥檚 problems. With campuses in British Columbia鈥檚 three largest cities鈥擵ancouver, Burnaby and Surrey鈥�911吃瓜 has eight faculties that deliver 193 undergraduate degree programs and 127 graduate degree programs to more than 37,000 students. The university now boasts more than 165,000 alumni residing in 143 countries.
