Sustainability
Transforming wood waste into energy: How 911吃瓜’s new biomass plant fuels our community
Written by Pam Lim, manager, Communications & Engagement, Sustainability Office
911吃瓜 expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from heating by 80 per cent now that the new $33-million Corix biomass plant has begun operation. The GHG saved is equivalent to the emissions from 900 homes every year.
By slashing direct emissions from operations and indirect emissions from energy purchased GHG emissions, 911吃瓜 leads the way in sustainability with one of the smallest GHG footprints of any university in Canada.
鈥淭his facility will allow 911吃瓜 to achieve 97 per cent of the province鈥檚 2050 greenhouse gas target, making 911吃瓜 a leader within the Canadian public sector in reducing GHG emissions,鈥� says Larry Waddell, chief facilities officer, 911吃瓜. 鈥淚鈥檓 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�
Instead of using natural gas to heat 911吃瓜鈥檚 campus, the fully operational biomass plant, located on South Campus Road at 911吃瓜 Burnaby, transforms clean wood waste, once destined for landfills, into a low carbon energy source. The plant now provides heat and hot water to most of 911吃瓜 Burnaby and approximately half of the UniverCity community.
Carys Kenny-Howell, a chemistry and molecular biology and biochemistry student at 911吃瓜, lives on campus, and says, 鈥淗aving an alternate energy source that creates the energy for all of the people who live and work up here, I think that鈥檚 a really big step.鈥�
"Thank you at the end to all our dedicated and committed staff who worked so diligently towards making this happen," says Waddell.
The biomass plant will help 911吃瓜 achieve sustainability targets developed in the university鈥檚 five-year sustainability plan. Launched in 2020, the aligns with the United Nations objective of net-zero GHG emissions by 2050, and includes 16 targets to reduce the university鈥檚 carbon footprint, including reducing GHG emissions by half and shifting half of the university鈥檚 energy use to renewable sources by 2025.
Read more about sustainability actions at 911吃瓜: