Updated March 18, 2024

We’re committed to increasing our low-carbon¹ Renewable Natural Gas² (RNG) supply and we’re working hard to have 75 per cent of the gas in our system be either renewable or low carbon by 2050. RNG is a sustainable energy and a key part in our commitment to transform B.C.’s energy future.

“We’re always looking for innovative, cost-effective ways to increase our renewable and low-carbon gas supply through our partnerships with municipalities and industry,” says Scott Gramm, senior manager, renewable & low carbon fuel development at FortisBC. “Our long-term vision is for renewable and low-carbon gas to make up the bulk of the gas we provide to customers, reducing the use of conventional natural gas every year.”

As we work to lead B.C.’s clean energy transition, we’re helping customers switch from conventional marine fuels and diesel to lower-carbon fuels like liquefied natural gas for ships and compressed natural gas for truck fleets. We’re also building electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to encourage the use of EVs on B.C. roads. These are key initiatives to a lower-carbon future, and with having been approved to invest close to $700 million to help lower customers energy use, we can help to further reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and lower energy costs through energy conservation programs.

How is Renewable Natural Gas made?

When bacteria break down organic waste from sources such as landfill sites, agricultural waste and wastewater from treatment facilities, it produces a biogas mostly made of methane. With the right equipment in place, the biogas—which would otherwise escape into the atmosphere—is captured, purified and injected into the local gas distribution system as low-carbon RNG (also called biomethane).

5 ways we’re creating RNG with our municipal and commercial partners:

1. B.C. landfills

Two of the earliest RNG suppliers for FortisBC are Kelowna’s Glenmore Landfill, and the Salmon Arm Landfill. Now, RNG production facilities are under construction at the City of Vancouver’s landfill in Delta, B.C., and the Capital Regional District is working with FortisBC on a supply contract for Victoria’s Hartland Landfill. “This is a significant step forward in our ongoing efforts to maximize the beneficial use of the gas we recover at the landfill,” said Cheryl Nelms, general manager, project delivery, Metro Vancouver.

2. Wastewater

The Lulu Island Renewable Natural Gas Facility in Richmond, B.C. represents the first wastewater RNG plant for FortisBC and the second of its kind in Canada. Owned by Metro Vancouver, it's significant because it creates a model for more wastewater plants in the future.

“Generating Renewable Natural Gas from wastewater treatment is a win-win for residents and the environment, and the Lulu Island Renewable Natural Gas Facility is just one of the innovative climate action projects underway in Metro Vancouver, as we work together toward the goal of becoming a carbon-neutral region by 2050,” said Sav Dhaliwal, member and former chair of the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors. “Partnerships such as this will be key to the success of Climate 2050, our strategy for addressing and reducing the impacts of climate change on regional infrastructure, ecosystems and communities.”

3. Wood waste

Another leap forward for RNG is the first wood waste-to-RNG project in North America. Kelowna-based company REN Energy is building a facility in Fruitvale, B.C. It will use waste items like sawdust, wood chips and hog fuel to produce RNG. This innovative project is currently under construction.

4. Residential and municipal organic waste

The City of Surrey created a closed loop organics processing operation: they collect and process curbside organic waste from Surrey residents and businesses to produce RNG. This gas will eventually be used to power Surrey’s waste collection trucks as well as the city’s growing fleet of natural gas-fuelled vehicles. The Surrey Biofuel Facility is the largest of its kind in North America and it processes organic waste from more than 150,000 Surrey households, plus local industrial, commercial and institutional operations and other municipalities in the region.

5. Farm waste

Our farm suppliers use their own agricultural and livestock waste, along with other local organic waste to create RNG. As a byproduct of the RNG process, they’re also able to create a nutrient-rich digestate which becomes fertilizer for local crops, creating a sustainable loop of food, waste and energy.

Charting a path to 2050

We commissioned Guidehouse Inc., a leading global energy consulting firm, to chart a viable path for B.C. to achieve the provincial government’s commitment to reducing GHG emissions to 80 per cent below 2007 levels by 2050. Guidehouse experts concluded a diversified pathway, featuring gas and electric systems working together, could achieve that target for $100 billion less than using electricity as the only energy source.³

FortisBC is committed to pursuing this exciting, diverse approach to meeting our customers’ energy needs while helping the province achieve its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. We’re rethinking energy—where it comes from, and how we use it—and creating innovative partnerships with BC communities, business, industry and government to make big strides towards a cleaner future.

Scott Gramm, senior manager, renewable & low carbon fuel development, FortisBC

Interested in signing up for RNG, or learning more?

Learn more about RNG, and find out how you can sign up for this low-carbon energy source.

¹ When 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.

² Renewable 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.

³ Pathways for British Columbia to achieve its GHG reduction goals; Guidehouse, 2020, p. 31.