Co-Generation/Large-Scale Generation
Projects on this page are combined heat and power (CHP), also known as co-generation, projects. Co-generation is the simultaneous production of electricity and heat from biomass or biogas.
Operational
Tolko Industries’ Armstrong Co-generation plant uses wood biomass, primarily bark from sawmill operations, to generate power for sale to BC Hydro.
Cariboo Pulp and Paper, Quesnel
Cariboo Pulp and Paper’s condensing steam co-generation turbo generator uses wood waste to generate power and steam for the mill’s operation. Not only does it produce power for the site, it will supply enough green biomass power to B.C.’s provincial grid to power more than 14,500 homes annually.
Chetwynd Forest Industries Biomass Project
West Fraser Timber Company will generate 13 MW of power with its Chetwynd Forest Industries bioenergy plant by using wood chips converted to biomass fuel.
Conifex Mackenzie Biomass Power Project
Based in Mackenzie, BC, this system came on-line on September 18, 2015. At full capacity, it produces 36 Megawatts of electricity from mill and logging residues.
Covanta Renewable Energy Burnaby, ULC
Every year, approximately 285,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste is converted at this facility into 940,000 tonnes of steam and up to 170,000 MWh of electricity, providing both economic and environmental benefits.
In this facility, the previous sawmill residual burner has been replaced by an Organic Rankine Cycle biomass power generator with a capacity of 12 MW.
Fort St. James Green Energy Project
The Fort St. James Green Energy Project is a 40 MW biomass energy production project in Fort St. James, with a 30 year energy purchasing agreement with BC Hydro.
Greater Nanaimo Pollution Control Centre Co-generation
Waste gas produced at the Centre’s primary treatment sewage digesters is used to produce electricity that powers the Centre.
The co-generation facility at Nanaimo Forest Products’ Harmac Pulp Mill has a capacity of 25 MW.
Hartland Landfill Gas Utilization Project, Victoria
The landfill produces 18 cubic metres of gas per minute which can be harnessed and transported to a landfill gas utilization facility to produce 12,274 megawatt hours of electricity per year or enough energy for 1600 homes.
Hefley Creek Plywood Mill, Kamloops
Nexterra’s gasification system at Tolko’s Heffley Creek plywood mill in Kamloops, BC, converts low value wood waste into syngas that is used to replace natural gas at the mill.
Howe Sound Pulp and Paper, Port Mellon
The mill supplies 80% of its energy needs from an onsite power generation system. This system uses one barge per day of hog fuel (waste wood from the sawmill industry), a biofuel that would otherwise be disposed of in landfills.
The co-generation facility at Domtar’s Kamloops pulp mill has a capacity of 76 MW. This is the highest capacity of any biomass-fired co-generation plant in BC.
Tolko Industries’ Kelowna Co-generation plant uses wood biomass, primarily bark from sawmill operations, to generate power for sale to FortisBC.
Nechako Green Energy, Vanderhoof
Using waste wood to generate power is common among pulp mills, but Nechako Green Energy is the first in North America to use the technology in a sawmill, an innovative approach that other companies now plan to follow. A sophisticated Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbo generator uses advanced controls and safety features, allowing it to operate with minimal staff – a key consideration in remote locations such as Nechako. The trailblazing work of Nechako Green Energy displaces 30 per cent of the mill’s electrical load, reducing the company’s electrical bills and reducing demand on B.C.’s electrical system.
Prince George Pulp and Paper Mill Bioenergy Project
Canfor’s facility in Prince George was recently upgraded and it now produces 7,560 MWh/year of electricity.
In 2010 Zellstoff Celgar completed its Green Energy Project. The C$64.9 million project included the installation of a second turbine-generator set with a design capacity of 48 MW to increase the mill’s installed generating capacity to 100 MW, and upgraded the mill’s bark boiler and steam facilities.
In connection with the Green Energy Project, Zellstoff Celgar finalized a 10-year Electricity Purchase Agreement with BC Hydro, under which it will sell electrical energy at “green’ rates.