The City’s Downtown Renewable Energy System is a district energy system that distributes heat to nearly a dozen downtown buildings. The system uses sawmill residuals (often known as “wood waste”) to heat water that is pumped through more than three kilometres of underground piping.
This fuel source is local, renewable, and carbon-neutral, and Prince George has one of only a handful of municipal district energy systems in Canada that uses a renewable resource as its primary source of energy.
- City Hall
- Downtown Energy Centre at 2nd and George
- The RCMP Building
- The Law Courts
- The Prince George Public Library
- The Prince George Conference and Civic Centre
- The Four Seasons Pool
- The Wood Innovation and Design Centre
- The Two Rivers Art Gallery
- Plaza 400
- The Rolling Mix Concrete Arena
- The parkade beside City Hall (to be connected in 2020)
GENERAL BENEFITS
- Reduces particulate emissions in the city air shed.
- Helps the City and its customers meet greenhouse gas reduction goals.
- Reduces the City's reliance on non-renewable fossil fuels.
- Helps position Prince George as a leader in bioenergy application.
- Helps with energy security and stability.
- Keeps energy-related funds in the community.
- Helps with downtown renewal.
- Generates non-tax revenue for the City.
DISTRICT ENERGY MAP
Prince George District Energy System with current connections in green and future expansion indicated in red.
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
- Provides energy price certainty.
- Generates new non-tax revenue.
- Reduces carbon tax payments.
- Avoids capital costs for future facility upgrades.
- Strengthens industry sustainability through partnerships.
- Is an attraction for businesses.
- Ensures energy dollars remain in our community.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
- Reduces total net particulate matter by 100.7 tonnes per year.
- Reduces total greenhouse gas reduction by 1,868 tonnes per year.
- Supports forestry - the mainstay of the local economy - and is more cost-effective to implement than any other potential renewable energy sources.
Downtown Energy Centre
The Downtown Energy Centre was completed in 2012 and houses the City's distribution pumps and peaking backup natural gas-fired boilers. These provide hot water to the District during times when Lakeland Mills is shut down for routine maintenance or during very cold weather when there is high demand for heat.
Distribution Piping System
The Distribution Piping System (DPS) from Lakeland Sawmill to the Energy Centre, City Hall, Civic Centre, Coliseum, Art Gallery, and the Four Seasons Pool was completed May 2012 and each building contains Energy Transfer Stations. The City now provides space heating and domestic hot water to these buildings with water heated from the Lakeland Mills energy system. This system burns sawmill residues (woody biomass) with greater efficiency and reduced emissions.