The City of Edmonton and Varme Energy Inc, the Edmonton-based subsidiary of Norway's Varme Energy have reached an agreement that will enable green electricity and industrial heat generation while diverting approximately 150,000 tonnes of residential garbage from landfill per year beginning as early as 2027.
As part of this agreement, Varme will construct a privately funded and operated waste-to-energy facility located in Alberta's capital region.
"This is a major milestone toward the development of this new facility and an enormous step forward for waste diversion and climate change mitigation in Canada," said Sean Collins, Varme Energy Canada's CEO. "We are excited to help lead this charge by bringing practical and proven waste diversion and energy generation technology to Alberta's capital region."
"We are very pleased with this partnership and see it as a positive step in the City's waste diversion and climate resiliency efforts," said Denis Jubinville, Branch Manager of Waste Services. "As we continue our efforts to help our community reduce and recycle their waste, this alternative is expected to limit landfill use, lower regional greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce the carbon impact of our operations, including our long haul fleet."
Waste-to-energy facilities combust garbage to produce steam that either generates electricity or provides heat for homes and industrial processes. The future Varme facility will apply proven technology that has been used successfully in Europe and around the world for more than three decades. It is expected to integrate carbon capture and storage (CCS), capturing about 90 per cent of the carbon dioxide emissions and preventing the release of thousands of tonnes of methane currently emitted from landfill waste into the atmosphere. Currently, the three most significant sources of methane in Canada are landfills, oil and gas, and livestock.
Once operational, the Varme facility which will be located about 40 km northeast of Edmonton will be Canada's first industrial-scale, waste-to-energy facility with carbon capture. The majority of Edmonton's residential waste that is not recycled or composted approximately 40 per cent of overall residential waste will be diverted from landfill and processed in a way that reduces carbon and methane emissions, avoids wasteful land use, and creates a reliable clean energy source for use in Alberta's Industrial Heartland. Varme is developing and financing the facility through private investment and is expected to bring 250 to 300 jobs to the region through construction and operation activities.
This facility will complement the work done at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre to sort and process compostable and recyclable waste. By putting residual garbage to use as a fuel source, the City can keep more waste out of the landfill and contribute to Edmonton's green energy transition.
Beginning as early as 2027, after Varme completes construction of their waste-to-energy facility, the City will begin sending residual garbage waste which will continue for a 15-year period.
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