Waste Connections investing $50M for new natural gas facility in Chatham-Kent

Waste Connections of Canada is proposing to investing over $50 million to build a new renewable natural gas facility in Chatham-Kent, Ont., on Thursday, April 7, 2022. (Gary Archibald / CTV Windsor)

Waste Connections of Canada is investing over $50 million to build a proposed new renewable natural gas facility in Chatham-Kent.

The project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help Ontario reach its climate change goals, including the province’s plan to phase out emissions from landfills by 2030.

“Waste Connections’ commitment to sustainability through significant investment in facilities like this enables the company to provide consumers with a reliable source of renewable natural gas,” said Dan Pio, president of Waste Connections.

Waste Connections, with the support of Enbridge Gas Inc., is hoping to build the facility at the Waste Connections Ridge Landfill.

“Working with solution-based companies like Waste Connections of Canada and communities like Chatham-Kent is just one example of the steps we’re taking to support the transition to a low-carbon future,” said Jim Redford, VP of energy services, gas distribution and storage with Enbridge Gas.

The renewable natural gas will then flow through new and existing Enbridge Gas infrastructure to transport to market.

The facility will capture landfill gas generated by decomposing waste and transform it into low carbon renewable natural gas.

From there, the RNG created will be injected into Enbridge Gas’ local natural gas distribution system that supplies gas to homes and businesses.

The project is expected to reduce an excess of 110,000 tonnes of GHG emissions annually. This is enough green energy to heat over 18,000 Ontario homes every year—or about 40 per cent of the homes in Chatham-Kent.

Enbridge Gas pipeline contractors will use many local resources to build the facility and related pipeline. It is estimated that the RNG facility would create close to 50 development and construction jobs as well as several highly skilled permanent operational jobs.

The proposed project includes construction at the Waste Connections Ridge Landfill of a new landfill gas recovery and upgrading facility and an RNG injection station.

A new four-inch diameter, 5.7 km pipeline will also be put in place that will run from Enbridge Gas’ Chatham East Line at Blenheim North Station to the new injection station located at the Waste Connections Ridge Landfill.

The Ridge RNG facility will be comprised of an upgrading and compression system to convert landfill gas to high-quality renewable natural gas.

If approved by the Ontario Energy Board, construction could begin in the spring of 2023 and be complete by the end of 2023.