Tim Hodgson, Canada’s energy and natural resources minister, has announced the federal government’s nearly $19 million investment in renewable natural gas (RNG) production through the expansion of the London Digester facility of StormFisher Environmental Ltd., a subsidiary of Generate Upcycle.
“By supporting projects like Generate Upcycle’s RNG facility, we are leveraging homegrown innovation and existing resources into reliable, low-carbon energy while growing domestic clean fuel production and creating jobs – a win-win-win,” Hodgson said in a news release.
“Natural Resources Canada’s investment through the Clean Fuels Fund was integral to making this expansion possible,” added Bill Caesar, Generate Upcycle’s president. “Public-private partnerships like this play an important role in scaling clean energy infrastructure.”
According to the news release from Natural Resources Canada, the facility in London, Ontario, is Canada’s biggest food waste anaerobic digestion facility producing RNG from municipal source-separated organics and industrial, commercial, and institutional food and beverage waste.
Goals of upgraded renewable natural gas facility
Natural Resources Canada shared that the federal investment aims to help the London Digester facility produce more RNG and turn organic waste into low-carbon fuel and fertilizer for Southwestern Ontario farms.
Natural Resources Canada’s news release explained that converting waste into clean, renewable energy can help the government make good use of landfill waste, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and maximize resources.
“London is helping build Canada’s clean energy future,” said Peter Fragiskatos, member of Parliament for London Centre. “This investment will expand renewable natural gas production in our community, turning waste into reliable, low-carbon energy while creating local economic opportunities.”
The federal government is striving for net-zero emissions by 2050.
Expansion worth $70m
Upon the completion of the revamped facility in 2027, Natural Resources Canada expects it to produce 450,000 more gigajoules (GJ) of RNG, which can power around 4,500 homes each year, plus 86,000 more tonnes of nutrient-rich organic fertilizer per year.
According to Natural Resources Canada’s news release, after the $70 million expansion, the facility’s expected total annual RNG production capacity is 675,000 GJ.
“The London expansion serves as a great example of how strategic government investment can help reduce emissions and create jobs while advancing Canada's circular economy,” Caesar said.
More energy news
Here are some other recent news stories involving energy.
On Aug. 17, Canada’s, Quebec’s, and Newfoundland and Labrador’s governments and Hydro-Québec’s and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro’s chief executive officers highlighted a deal for the Churchill Falls Generating Station’s expansion and the Gull Island hydroelectricity project’s development.
On July 24, Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities Canada announced that the federal government and 10 Mi’kmaw communities in Nova Scotia have invested more than $4.8 million in renewable energy generation through the installation of solar panels in the communities.
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