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Renewable natural gas

Energy produced at home

1- Waste – First, food waste (like what you would put in your brown bin) is collected and taken to a biomethanation plant.
2- Biomethanation – Next, the waste is placed in biodigesters, which are enormous oxygen-free vats that digest organic matter like a giant stomach. Microorganisms then break down the waste into RNG.
3- Renewable energy

– The resulting renewable natural gas is injected into the gas network. The clean and locally-produced energy is then ready for use.


Advantages

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  • Lower GHG emissions

    Produced from 100% renewable resources, RNG reduces GHG emissions in two ways: by replacing a fossil fuel with renewable energy and by preventing the methane emissions associated with landfilling residual organic matter.

  • Repurposed waste

    Turning table scraps into RNG is simpler than you think! The process helps divert residual materials from landfills to produce a renewable energy source as well as an all-natural fertilizer that is great for flower beds and farmland.

  • Energy produced at home

    Would you believe it if you were told your city could produce RNG with your organic waste? Well, it is a concrete step cities can take to effectively manage waste.

  • Organic waste that pays off

    Waste with energy to spare: I’d buy that! RNG production can be an opportunity for municipal governments, farmers and various industries to turn their organic waste into new revenue streams.

Want to know more?

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Renewable natural gas at home or for your business?

Why not! We are working hard, together with municipalities and producers for all our customers to benefit from this renewable and local energy. While we are busy supplying our network, we have put together a request list allowing you to indicate your interest in purchasing renewable natural gas. It interests you? First come, first served!

Subscribe to the list

Residential     Business

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Meet our producers

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Meet our first producer: Saint-Hyacinthe

Saint-Hyacinthe was the first city in Québec to produce energy through biomethanation and move one step closer to energy independence. Implemented in partnership with Énergir, this initiative will heat municipal buildings and fuel city vehicles while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This project will, in time, lead to an annual reduction of 25,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas. It’s a great example of a community repurposing waste to produce renewable energy.

Québec

In 2023, Québec City will inject renewable natural gas into Énergir’s network. The biomethanation center of the agglomeration of Québec (CBAQ) is currently under construction. It will treat:
  • food residues (86,600 tons/year)
  • biosolids (materials from the wastewater treatment plant) (96,000 tons/year)

Coop Agri-Énergie Warwick

Coop Agri-Énergie Warwick is the first agricultural cooperative dedicated to the production of renewable energy in Québec. It brings together roughly ten agricultural producers from the Arthabaska RCM who will produce renewable natural gas (RNG) from slurry and manure from dairy cattle mixed with residual organic matter from surrounding businesses. The biomethanation complex will be developed, built and operated by Coop Carbone, a non-profit solidarity cooperative working on the development of cooperative agricultural biomethanization projects. The start of operations is already planned for autumn 2020.

Laval University becomes the first Québec university to buy renewable natural gas

The agreement between Laval University and Énergir for the supply of renewable natural gas (GNR) supports the University's sustainable development mission and adds to its approach to reduce energy consumption and combat climate change and carbon neutrality.

Can natural gas really be renewable?
Yes, if it is produced from a renewable source. There are five main sources of renewable energy: the sun, the earth (geothermal energy), wind, water and organic matter. In the case of RNG, the raw material is residual organic matter. Be it table scraps, wastewater, slurry or farm manure, these materials all have very short renewal cycles.

How do you plan to offer RNG to customers in the coming years?
Énergir is working hard to reduce the carbon footprint of the natural gas it distributes, and it believes that RNG is one of the ways to get there. Its aim is to have 5% of the gas injected into its existing network be RNG by 2025, replacing traditional natural gas. Among others, the cities of Saint-Hyacinthe and Québec already have production projects underway. And the province has the potential to do so much more! This is why our teams are hard at work mobilizing all of those involved in developing these promising projects throughout Québec.

Will producing RNG encourage food waste?
Our wish is to get the full value out of every item of food. However, we are aware that no matter how much we try to reduce food waste, certain organic materials such as pits, skins and peels will never be eaten. With RNG, we want to reuse the organic materials that end up in brown bins to give them a powerful second life.

What if RNG good for?
Énergir firmly believes that making complementary use of a variety of energy sources is the most effective way to reduce greenhouse gases. As we always say, you need the right energy in the right place!

That’s why we rely on RNG as a greener energy source in cases where switching to electrical power would be very difficult, for instance to heat an industrial building or produce a flame for an industrial process.
Need more information?
Our team is here to help!

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