Insider Brief:
- The Alberta Utilities Commission has approved construction of a waste-to-energy facility operated by Varme Energy, a subsidiary of a Norwegian company.
- The C$300 million waste-to-energy project will use carbon capture technology to convert solid waste to energy.
- The city of Edmonton has contracted Varme to convert 150,000 tonnes of its trash to electricity.
The Alberta Utilities Commission has approved an application by Varme Energy to build a C$300 million waste-to-energy project which would use carbon capture technology to convert solid waste to energy.
The waste would come from Edmonton.
The regulator approved the facility on May 2, CBC News reported.
Edmonton was specifically chosen for its infrastructure, Varme Energy CEO Sean Collins told CBC.
“One of the reasons we’re so focused on Edmonton is because we have the No.1 and No.2 biggest CO2 pipelines in the world originating out of Edmonton.
The AUC had also approved an application in early March for Varme Energy to construct and operate a 19.6-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant, the Heartland Waste-to-Energy Facility.
The waste-to-energy facility will be based in Strathcona, to the northeast of Edmonton. Starting in 2028, the facility will receive 150,000 tonnes of the city’s waste to produce electricity.
“This agreement aligns with the city’s objective of reducing landfill reliance by diverting waste toward other beneficial uses,” Chris Fowler, who is acting branch manager of waste services, told the CBC in a statement.
Garbage trucks, instead of heading to the landfill, will arrive at Varme Energy’s facility.
“We’ll combust the waste to extract the energy out and integrate carbon capture, to capture the emissions from the facility, so that you get a landfill-free and carbon-free solution,” Collins said. Varme Energy is a subsidiary of Norway-based Varme Energy AS.
