Yukon school joining biomass district energy system

The Government of Yukon has signed a heat purchase agreement with the Teslin Tlingit Council to supply the local Community School in Teslin with heat from the Teslin Tlingit Council’s biomass facility.

Purchasing heat from the Teslin Tlingit Council’s biomass facility will lower greenhouse gas emissions annually by replacing imported heating oil with carbon neutral biomass.

The majority of biomass fuel costs and labour associated with this agreement will stay within the Teslin community.

The Teslin Tlingit Council’s biomass system has been in operation since 2017 and will be used to heat the school starting this school year.

Quick facts:

• Up to 90% of the heat in the community school will be produced with biomass, representing a 106-tonne reduction in the school’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.
• The Teslin Tlingit Council developed a 1.5 megawatt waste-wood fueled district heating system, incorporating biomass heating technologies from Austria in 2017 (Hargassner).
• This current system is supplying over 10 local buildings including a multi-unit residential building and administration offices with renewable heat.
• The use of local biomass results in a reduced wildfire risk by reducing fuel loads and creating necessary firebreaks around the Teslin community.