Our progress towards reducing GHG emissions

Jenelle De la Cour (right) and Mason Lau (centre) meets with George Dick of Dicklands Farms, our latest Renewable Natural Gas supplier
Jenelle De La Cour (right) and Mason Lau (centre) meet with George Dick of Dicklands Farms, our latest Renewable Natural Gas supplier.

We’re reducing fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in B.C. by investing in a low-carbon energy future. Guided by our Clean Growth Pathway strategy, we’ve helped both our gas and electricity customers avoid emitting close to 800,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in 2022. This represents a 34 per cent improvement from 2021.

We’re committed to continuing our progress with GHG emissions avoidance by growing our renewable and low-carbon gas1 supply, increasing access to low- and zero-emission transportation and infrastructure and prioritizing investment in conservation and energy efficiency.

We’re taking actions today that are making a difference in greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Monic Pratch, vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary and sustainability 

Increasing our renewable and low-carbon gas supply

By increasing our supply of Renewable Natural Gas2 (RNG), we helped our customers avoid emitting approximately 213,500 tCO2e in 2022.

we have 14 suppliers providing us with rng

We’re currently working with 14 RNG suppliers, with another 19 suppliers expected to come online by the end of 2024. These suppliers purify biogas from diverse sources, including landfills, farms and wastewater treatment facilities, providing low-carbon3 RNG for years to come.

Advancing high-efficiency technologies and energy management

We’re dedicated to increasing our customers' access to energy-efficient upgrades and innovative technologies that will help reduce GHG emissions as well as lower utility bills.

we helped save 1.2 million GJ of natural gas by encouraging energy-efficiency in 2022

More than half of the emissions we helped our customers avoid in 2022 were a result of enabling them to switch from higher-carbon heating fuels to natural gas4 and/or encouraging them to adopt energy-efficient practices and technology with the help of our incentive and pilot programs, which cover everything from high-efficiency equipment to deep energy retrofits.

As a result, recorded annual natural gas savings totalled 1.2 million gigajoules (GJ). These energy savings resulted in carbon emissions reductions of almost 70,000 tCO2e and total reductions of 646,480 tCO2e over the life of all measures installed or undertaken in 2022.5 Additionally, electricity savings from our conservation and energy management initiatives totalled 35.9 gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2022, an increase of 6.2 GWh compared to 2021.

We’re committed to sustainability in all we do. From increasing our supply of renewable and low-carbon gases to advancing energy efficiency in homes and businesses, we’re working hard to reduce GHG emissions across the province while delivering a diverse range of reliable energy solutions.

Driving access to low- and zero-emission transportation

Our investments in sustainable transportation options contributed to almost 10 per cent of the total emissions we helped customers avoid in 2022.

we recently reached 30000 EV charges in the southern interior

Other major milestones include:

  • we now operate 42 direct current fast charging electric vehicle (EV) charging stations throughout the Southern Interior
  • to date, we’ve switched over a total of 1,000 commercial vehicles in B.C. to compressed natural gas from diesel or gasoline, thereby reducing GHG emissions in these vehicles by up to 30 per cent6

Achieving cleaner marine transportation systems

Vessels that have switched from marine fuel to liquefied natural gas (LNG) saw up to a 27 per cent reduction in GHG emissions and virtually eliminated other airborne contaminants and particulate matter.7

Ferries using LNG as a marine fuel can reduce GHG emissions by 27 per cent

International ships going to and from B.C.’s ports produce more GHG emissions than the entire province combined—they also contribute to smog and poor local air quality.

That’s why we’re working hard to achieve cleaner marine transportation systems. By using LNG in marine bunkering, we helped our customers avoid a total of 43,400 tCO2e in 2022. Six marine vessels from BC Ferries and four from Seaspan Ferry Corporation are now using LNG instead of higher-carbon fuels such as diesel.

1FortisBC uses the term renewable and low-carbon gas to refer collectively to the low-carbon gases or fuels that the utility can acquire under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Clean Energy) Regulation, which are: Renewable Natural Gas (also called RNG or biomethane), hydrogen, synthesis gas (from wood waste) and lignin. FortisBC’s renewable and low-carbon gas portfolio currently includes only Renewable Natural Gas. Other gases and fuels may be added to the program over time. Depending on their source, all of these gases have differing levels of lifecycle carbon intensity. However, all of these gases are low carbon when compared to the lifecycle carbon intensity of conventional natural gas. The current burner tip emission factor of RNG is 0.29 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of energy (gCO2e/MJ) and the current renewable and low-carbon gas portfolio lifecycle emissions are -22 gCO2e/MJ. This is below B.C.’s carbon intensity threshold for low-carbon gases of 36.4 gCO2e/MJ set out in the 2021 B.C. Hydrogen Strategy.

2Renewable Natural Gas (also called RNG or biomethane) is produced in a different manner than conventional natural gas. It is derived from biogas, which is produced from decomposing organic waste from landfills, agricultural waste and wastewater from treatment facilities. The biogas is captured and cleaned to create Renewable Natural Gas.

3When compared to the lifecycle carbon intensity of conventional natural gas. The burner tip emission factor of FortisBC’s current Renewable Natural Gas (also called RNG or biomethane) portfolio is 0.29 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of energy (gCO2e/MJ). FortisBC’s current RNG portfolio lifecycle emissions are -22 gCO2e/MJ. This is below B.C.’s low carbon threshold for lifecycle carbon intensity of 36.4 gCO2e/MJ as set out in the 2021 B.C. Hydrogen Strategy.

4Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Natural gas and the environment. 

5Emissions reduction value based on life cycle (well to burner tip) emission factor of 0.0598 tCO2e/GJ for natural gas. Annual emissions reductions are those attributed to the first year following measure implementation. Lifetime reductions are the total reductions that occur over the life of all measures implemented (based on net present value (NPV) of gas savings).

6Source: Northwest Gas Association, Natural gas facts, page 15.

7Source: Environmental benefits of LNG-fuelled marine vessel.