Town of Renfrew Waste Reduction/Cogeneration Facility

This study consists of a capital cost estimate for the development, construction and commissioning of a cogeneration facility at Renfrew’s landfill, a 20-year operating plan and a performance estimate including, for example, thermal and electrical production and sales. The facility will feature a state of the art gasification/combustion system to turn waste energy into revenue. As renewable fuel sources, it will accept biomass waste from local sawmills, local reforestation plantations’ culling operations and municipal solid waste - diverting approximately 75 per cent of the waste currently landfilled. The resultant heat will be used to heat a group of institutional buildings near the site, starting with Victoria Hospital. The power supplied through the hospital’s connection to Renfrew Hydro Inc. will be sold either to interested parties through bi-lateral arrangements, into the Ontario spot market or to a combination of both. The facility will form a new division of Renfrew Power Generation and by generating 1 to 2 MW of power, it will give the utility a total generating capacity of 4.5 to 5.5 MW - approximately one quarter of the Town’s energy requirements. As a result, Renfrew will need to purchase less natural gas for heating purposes and less electricity from outside sources, thus reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In addition, the new facility will create jobs in the community.