Latest Enbridge partnership to turn landfill waste into RNG across Canada

Enbridge Inc., Walker Industries and Comcor Environmental, have announced a partnership to jointly develop renewable natural gas (RNG) projects at landfills across Canada. The partnership aims to transform landfill waste into carbon-neutral energy, which will be injected into local natural gas distribution networks across the country, reducing the overall carbon emission of the gas supply used to heat homes, power businesses and fuel vehicle fleets.

The partnership brings together industry leaders with a proven track record in energy transportation and landfill gas utilization to deliver a cost-effective solution to help advance Canada's energy transition to a low-carbon future.

"Renewable natural gas is a low-carbon fuel that will help us get to net-zero," said Seamus O'Regan, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources. "Companies like Enbridge are working to lower emissions, create jobs, and develop new opportunities to transform landfill waste into low-emitting energy."

The industry estimates over 33 Petajoules (PJ) of landfill derived RNG can be generated in Canada, potentially supplying energy to approximately 400,000 homes for a year. This joint venture intends to unlock this RNG potential and offer commercially viable solutions to landfills ready for development. The Niagara RNG facility in Ontario, which is currently under development for in service in 2022, is the partnership's first landfill RNG project, and several additional projects are in the works.

Canada has over 10,000 landfill sites, generating approximately 30 Megatonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) annually, accounting for 20 percent of national methane emissions. Only one third of those landfill emissions are captured and utilized and the rest are emitted directly to the atmosphere. Repurposing this under-utilized resource has the potential to divert 20 Mt of CO2e, which is comparable to diverting 850 million trash bags of organic material from landfills per year.

"RNG presents a tremendous opportunity to provide affordable, reliable, and low-carbon fuel for Canada's increasing energy needs, leveraging our existing energy system and stimulating economic growth," said Cynthia Hansen, Executive Vice President and President, Gas Distribution and Storage, Enbridge. "For example, the Niagara RNG facility project will generate enough clean energy to heat 8,750 homes and reduce GHG emissions by 48,000 tonnes per year. This is just one example of how Enbridge is connecting consumers to renewables sources of energy. Together we're leading the way to a green energy future."

"We are excited to be partnering with leading companies like Comcor Environmental and Enbridge in innovative technologies to provide resource recovery solutions," said Geordie Walker, CEO of Walker Industries. "By converting waste into a clean energy resource, we are able to build a sustainable future. This partnership provides significant benefits to our environment while stimulating the local economy with jobs." 

"The production of RNG from landfill gas and its use in existing energy infrastructure is a pathway towards greenhouse gas reductions and a greener energy future in Canada," said Walter Graziani, President of Comcor Environmental. "Comcor Environmental is proud to partner with Walker Industries and Enbridge to make this first of its kind partnership a reality. We look forward to helping Canada meets its climate change goals through RNG project development across the country."