Chatham-Kent continues to pursue waste-to-energy partnership

To help the environment, as well as find a new source of revenue, Chatham-Kent will continue to pursue a proposed waste-to-energy partnership with Greenfield Global Inc.

The project, which still requires further approvals, would involve the construction of an industrial anaerobic digester to process organic waste, which would otherwise be disposed of in a landfill, and convert it into renewable natural gas.

Municipal council received a staff update on the initiative earlier this week.

Greenfield currently operates a similar plant in Varennes, Que. and has served more than 30 local municipalities in the area south of Montreal.

The partnership would be for a 90,000 to 120,000-tonne digester, with an advance municipal investment of up to $1.3 million or 40 per cent of the cost for further engineering design.

“We see this as a win-win on all sides of this project,” Gord Quinton, Chatham-Kent’s chief financial officer and treasurer, said.

He added the gas would be injected into Enbridge’s pipeline system.

If the project goes ahead, the facility would be located at 175 Bloomfield Rd. in Chatham, since this site is adjacent to both the Chatham wastewater treatment plant and the Greenfield ethanol plant.

This would allow for an affordable wastewater pipe to be installed to pump sewage waste from the treatment plant to the digester, as well as organic waste from the ethanol plant.

Wallaceburg Coun. Carmen McGregor called the proposed location ideal.

“Having that location available to us, it just seems like a natural (fit) and such a great move for our municipality,” she said.

McGregor added that having the Quebec experience to learn from will be an asset moving ahead.

The overall equity investment is expected to be between $15 million to $20 million, split between the municipality and public utilities commission, for 40 per cent ownership of the project, but with long-term financial benefits.

“We do expect this to be a source of funding to both offset taxes and the PUC rates,” Quinton said. “Council has asked us to be creative in finding new sources of revenue and we think this fits the bill.”

In addition to many construction jobs, there would be approximately 20 full-time jobs once it’s operational, he added.

In September of 2021, council endorsed recommendations in support of the project, including continued due diligence of legal contracts and financial reviews. Another update was received last September.

This week’s staff report stated the project, which would become operational in mid-2026, remains viable and is ready to proceed to more detailed design and engineering stages.

“It is expected the project will be profitable after the initial startup period of operations and provide an additional source of revenue for the municipality and PUC for decades to come, while assisting to reach expected climate change targets and reducing waste being landfilled,” it stated .

In May, a group consisting of the mayor, three councilors and administration staff toured the Quebec plant to learn more about the opportunity and operational needs of the facility.

The plant would be designed to ensure there will be no odor in excess of the current odors from the treatment plant.

“It’s all about containment,” Quinton said. “The plant will use a double-door entry system for receiving and pretreatment.

“The entire facility is maintained under negative pressure, so no smell can escape.”

The air then passes through a biofilter for purification before being released into the atmosphere.

The matter is expected to return to council this fall for a decision on next steps.