Progressive Waste Solutions opens landfill-gas-to-energy facility near Montreal

Toronto-based Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. celebrated the official opening of its renewable natural gas facility on March 13, the largest of its kind in Canada and one of the largest in North America. The facility located in Terrebonne, Quebec, near Montreal, is converting landfill gas to natural gas which is then delivered to the TransCanada pipeline network, via an injection point adjacent to the landfill site.

The facility is designed to process approximately 10,000 cubic feet per minute of incoming landfill gas. The gas generated at the site is the equivalent of fueling 1,500 trucks for 20 years. The new plant will also result in the avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over a 10-year period. Landfill gas is recognized as a renewable energy source by regulators across North America.

"We are extremely proud to open this renewable natural gas facility and convert naturally occurring landfill gas into a renewable energy source that is an alternative to fossil fuels," said Dan Pio, executive vice president, strategy and business development, Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. "Our investment in this facility, along with the investment we are making to convert certain portions of our collection fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG) from diesel fuel, demonstrates our commitment to environmentally sustainable practices as well as reducing our carbon footprint."

The development and construction of the facility cost approximately CA$44 million (US$34.4 million) and created about 100 development and construction jobs and five operational jobs. "We are extremely pleased this innovative facility was developed with the support of the local business community," said Yves Normandin, vice president of the Quebec operating subsidiary of Progressive Waste Solutions.

At the plant opening, the company also unveiled the rebranding of BFI Canada to Vision Enviro Progressive in Quebec. In addition, the landfill formerly known as BFI Usine de Triage Lachenaie has been renamed Complexe Enviro Progressive.

"Just as we are transforming landfill gas to green energy, our company is also changing and evolving. The opening of this new facility is the perfect opportunity to reveal our new corporate identity, which conveys our commitment to finding innovative, environmentally responsible and sustainable waste management solutions," Normandin pointed out.

Both of these changes will be effective April 1, 2015.

"Today's announcement is a remarkable example of energy innovation, one that will have far-reaching effects for Quebec. Rather than simply burning off landfill gas, it will be transformed into green, renewable energy that will replace up to 350,000 barrels of oil per year. I congratulate the company for meeting this significant technological challenge while still complying with the strictest standards in North America for injecting natural gas into a gas grid," stated Pierre Arcand, Quebec's minister of Energy and Natural Resources, minister responsible for Plan Nord, and minister responsible for the Lanaudiere region.

The Complexe Enviro Progressive's renewable natural gas facility is the third plant where the company's landfill gas is being converted to natural gas. Two of Progressive Waste Solutions' sites, one in Texas and one in New York, are supplying landfill gas to conversion facilities owned by third parties. The Complexe Enviro Progressive facility is the first to be built and operated by Progressive Waste Solutions.

In addition, Progressive Waste Solutions converts landfill gas into electricity at several of its landfills including its Complexe Enviro Progressive site, the Seneca Meadows Landfill in New York, the Blue Ridge Landfill in Pennsylvania, the Turkey Creek Landfill in Texas and its Champ Landfill in Missouri. Collectively these facilities generate enough energy to power more than 32,000 homes. The landfill gas-fuelled power generating facilities produce 25 megawatts of electrical power, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. It would require 200,000 barrels of oil to produce the same amount of power each year.

Complexe Enviro Progressive is the home of the first biogas-fuelled electric power plant in Quebec. Opened in 1996, it produces enough electricity to power 2,500 homes per year and will continue to provide a renewable energy source for the local community. This facility won the 1997 Énergia award in the Environment category.

Progressive Waste Solutions also operates the largest fleet of collection trucks powered by CNG in the Canadian waste and recyclables collection industry. Currently, it operates approximately 200 CNG powered vehicles in Canada and through its normal replacement of its fleet is on track to have up to 55 percent of the total number of vehicles it replaces annually in Canada and the U.S. fuelled by CNG.