Terasen Gas receives approval to use pipeline-quality biogas in British Columbia
Terasen Gas has received approval from the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) for a new renewable natural gas program for an initial two-year period. In 2011, up to 24,000 residential customers will be able to subscribe to the program on a first-come, first-served basis. The equivalent of 10% of customers’ natural gas requirements will be assigned from local renewable energy projects feeding gas supply into the Terasen Gas network. As part of the biogas program, Terasen Gas has also received approval to activate two projects that will upgrade raw biogas into pipeline-quality biogas, known as biomethane or renewable natural gas, which will then be added to Terasen Gas’ distribution system.
“As one of the first utility companies in Canada to include alternative energy solutions as part of its regulated energy service offerings, providing British Columbians with biomethane makes good sense and is a natural extension of the piped energy services we've delivered for over a century,” said Doug Stout of Terasen Gas and FortisBC. “Biomethane will safely and efficiently reduce emissions from waste decomposition, which is 21 times more powerful in warming the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.”
By subscribing to the program, residential customers would pay about a $4 monthly premium to replace 10% of their natural gas supply with biomethane in the Terasen Gas network. Terasen Gas currently expects to make available for purchase about 210,000 gigajoules of biomethane in the first year of the program, which translates to an estimated greenhouse gas savings of about 11,000 tons, equal to removing approximately 2,000 cars off the road each year.
The BCUC decision also allows Terasen Gas to implement agreements with Catalyst Power Inc. and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) to collect biogas from agricultural waste and a landfill site, respectively. Earlier this year, Terasen Gas received a $200,000 grant from the BC Bioenergy Network to help leverage Terasen Gas’ investment in the biogas upgrade system at the CSRD site. In 2012, the biogas program is expected to be available to commercial customers throughout the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, Interior, North and the Kootenays.
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