The City of New Westminster is moving forward with plans for the Sapperton district energy system.
On Nov. 15, council gave first reading to the district energy bylaw.
“We are just trying to get first reading on the connection bylaw and service area, and then we’ve got a little bit of work to finalize it,” said Rod Carle, general manager of the city’s electrical utility. “We will probably come back early in the new year for second and third reading.”
According to a report to council, the city has developed a business case to demonstrate the financial viability of a district energy system using renewable energy.
“The city has been working for over seven years to explore a low-carbon district in the Sapperton neighbourhood to serve the expanded Royal Columbian Hospital and rapid commercial and residential growth in the area,” said the report.
In 2017, city council endorsed “sewage heat recovery” as the preferred renewable energy source for the initiative. Under this scenario, low-grade energy would be recovered from Metro Vancouver’s nearby sanitary sewer trunk using electric heat pumps to heat water for distribution to buildings.
“The district energy system is considered to be one of the most important projects the city has identified to help achieve its climate targets and bold steps,” said a Nov. 15 staff report. “The project is very innovative and will result in a significant amount of greenhouse gas emission reductions. Delaying the implementation of this bylaw could potentially impact the number of buildings being connected to this renewable energy source. In turn, this could negatively impact the sustainability benefits otherwise accrued.”
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