Feds funding biomass boiler pilot projects in New Brunswick
October 9, 2020 | By HPAC Magazine
It's anticipated this model could generate a ripple effect on other small towns in Northern New Brunswick, as well as in the rest of Canada where economies are tied to the forest or agricultural sector.
The Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) are investing $417,400 in a pilot project to replace existing fossil-fuel burning heating furnaces with high-efficiency biomass boilers in four municipality facilities in New Brunswick:
- Atholville’s town hall;
- Caraquet’s municipal garage;
- Rivière-Verte’s municipal garage;
- Saint-Léonard’s regional emergency centre
As a pilot project, it’s anticipated that this model could generate a ripple effect on other small towns in Northern New Brunswick, as well as in the rest of Canada. It could be reproduced by Canadian municipalities where an adequate amount of residual forest or agricultural biomass is available. The model is particularly appealing for rural regions whose economies are tied to the forest or agricultural sector.
This pilot is expected to generate:
- a 70% reduction in GHG emissions;
- a 70% reduction in energy consumption:
- reclamation of 64 tonnes of residual forest biomass per year.
Upon completion of the project energy efficiency measures will be put in place in each building; following which several months of monitoring will be carried out to assess the results of the project.
