Mr. Speaker, energy costs are a concern to all of us. Public Works and Services has had the opportunity to test out a more economically and environmentally friendly alternative energy source at the North Slave Correctional Facility.
Providing heat for buildings using wood pellet boilers has been common practice in Europe for decades. It has provided reliable heating for hotels, office buildings and recreational facilities from Austria to Siberia. These systems save money due to the use of less expensive wood by-products, specifically crushed sawdust pellets. They also significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2006 the North Slave Correctional Facility needed a boiler to provide back-up heat. Capital of $225,000 was approved for this boiler. Arctic Green Energy, a northern company in Yellowknife, proposed to provide a wood pellet burning boiler system instead of the third oil-fired boiler. It would be the primary heating unit and would be designed to meet 90 per cent of the heating requirements for the facility.
The company was responsible for the design, installation, operation and maintenance of the wood pellet system and for the provision of the pellets. It also acts as an energy service provider, billing the G.N.W.T. only for heat supplied to the facility.
The system includes a storage unit to hold adequate wood pellets for one month’s required output in winter conditions. This enables the system to continue to operate during ferry and ice-road closures.
The benefits from the wood pellet system were expected to include capital savings of $225,000 from not installing the third oil-fired boiler, an estimated $50,000 annual savings in heating costs for the facility, and an estimated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 1,450 tonnes annually.
Mr. Speaker, we are pleased to report that these expectations were successfully met. The heating system has been operating reliably for a full 12 months. From January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2007, the wood pellet boilers have provided approximately 90 per cent of the heating requirements for the North Slave Correctional Facility. Savings included $57,719 because of the lower cost of wood pellets as compared to oil; $1,500 because of a reduced requirement for chemical treatment of the system; $1,200 because of reduced power consumption to run boilers, draft fans, and primary boiler pumps; and $1,000 because of reduced wear and tear on existing equipment.
The wood pellet boilers have displaced 568,903 litres of heating fuel and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by a total of 1554 tonnes in one year of operation. This is equivalent to taking 315 vehicles off the road.
Mr. Speaker, PWS is currently working with various authorities to promote the use of wood pellet boilers. In 2008-2009 PWS will be studying other buildings as possible candidates for biomass boiler installations. Potential sites for biomass boiler installations may include the Department of Transportation maintenance garage and the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre in Hay River, Chief Jimmy Bruneau School in Behchoko, River Ridge Correctional Centre and Territorial Women’s Correctional Centre in Fort Smith, and the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre. In 2007-2008 PWS will continue to assist the city of Yellowknife to install wood pellet boilers at the Yellowknife pool, arena and curling rink and help Yellowknife Education District No. 1 to install the biomass boilers at Sir John Franklin High School.
