Correspondence from Carmen LeBlanc and Doug Slater, FortisBC re: Renewable Natural Gas and emissions reduction
Correspondence from FortisBC requesting support for their Renewable Natural Gas filing and updating the Council on decarbonization progress.
Elena Bolster
Subject: FW: Support for emissions reduction and access to low carbon energy, like RNG from the Hartland landfill Attachments: 2023-07-10 - FortisBC - District of Hope Letter of Support for Proposed RNG Program.pdf
From: LeBlanc, Carmen
Sent: Friday, October 6, 2023 3:38 PM
To: 'mayorandcouncil@viewroyal.ca' mayorandcouncil@viewroyal.ca
Subject: Support for emissions reduction and access to low carbon energy, like RNG from the Hartland landfill
Dear Mayor & Council,
I hope this email finds you all well.
In support of conversations and adoption of the Zero Carbon Step Code (ZCSC), I want to reiterate FortisBC’s alignment with the desire to reduce carbon emissions in View Royal and beyond. For over a decade, we have been taking action and leading the way in actualizing these achievements. Resilient communities like yours, with access to both gas and electric systems benefit from improved reliability with these systems working together to provide diversified and critical support for one another. Through our gas distribution system we are reducing emissions and improving air quality, while providing the critical and reliable energy that homes, businesses, industries and sectors like transportation need.
In support of continued and sustained emissions reduction, FortisBC has a filing currently before the BC Utilities Commission (Biomethane Energy Recovery Charge Rate Methodology and Comprehensive Review of a Revised Renewable Gas Program). This filing seeks the creation of a new tariff and would see the commitment of 100% low carbon Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) to all new homes; achieving the same intended emissions reduction as the highest levels of the ZCSC, without limiting energy choice. Aligning with your Council’s decision to adopt the highest levels of the ZCSC, I am writing with the request that the Town of View Royal support our filing with a letter, or motion of support in council.
Your support for this filing will affirm your council’s commitment to maintaining access to low carbon energy and not limiting choice for your constituents. It would affirm your support for maintaining a diversified and resilient portfolio of energy for View Royal residents, while ensuring that the energy used in new homes achieves emissions reductions.
Very soon, low carbon RNG will flow from the Hartland landfill into our system. Approval of this filing will allow new homes to access and utilize this energy while conforming to your committed EL-4 level of the ZCSC.
For reference, I’ve attached a copy of a letter submitted by the District of Hope in support of this filing and encourage council or Town of View Royal staff to reach out to me for more information. The deadline to submit a letter or motion of support is October 12, 2023.
I look forward to continued work with your council and staff. A letter of support can be emailed to me and I will forward appropriately.
Have a wonderful week and happy thanksgiving.
Carmen LeBlanc
Manager, Indigenous Relations
Community & Indigenous Relations Manager
1027 Langford Parkway, Victoria BC V9B 0A5
T: 250.380.5738 C: 250.883.5044
From: LeBlanc, Carmen
Sent: Friday, September 15, 2023 1:34 PM
To: mayorandcouncil@viewroyal.ca
Subject: UBCM update from FortisBC for Mayor & Council
Good afternoon Mayor and Council,
I’m looking forward to seeing you next week at UBCM. In advance of the convention, our Vice President Doug Slater wanted to share an update, included below, on our progress to advance decarbonization, and key considerations on energy, addressing climate objectives and affordability.
I am always happy to discuss energy and facilitate conversations with specialized FortisBC business units to better understand and create solutions to support the low carbon and emissions reduction goals of your community. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me next week via my cell number listed below. It would be great to connect with you.
Warm Regards,
Carmen LeBlanc Manager, Indigenous Relations Community & Indigenous Relations Manager 1027 Langford Parkway, Victoria BC V9B 0A5 T: 250.380.5738 C: 250.883.5044
Doug Slater Vice President Indigenous Relations and Regulatory Affairs 16705 Fraser Highway Surrey, BC V4N 0E8 Tel: 778-578-3874 E-mail: doug.slater@fortisbc.com www.fortisbc.com
Dear Mayors and Councillors,
In advance of the 2023 Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Convention, we wanted to provide you with an update on the progress we’re making towards transforming BC’s energy future and share some important considerations related to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, while maintaining energy system reliability, and affordability.
As a Canadian-owned public utility delivering electricity, natural gas, and renewable natural gas, FortisBC connects and delivers safe and reliable energy to approximately 1.2 million customers in communities throughout BC. We deliver more energy to British Columbians each year than any other energy provider, including on the coldest days of the year where we provide approximately 65 per cent of the energy needed to heat BC homes and businesses.
As BC’s largest energy provider, we recognize and embrace the importance of our shared role in decarbonizing the energy system and meeting BC’s climate targets. We set an ambitious goal to reduce our customers emissions by approximately 4 million tonnes of CO2e per year by 2030 and are on track to meet that goal.
Progress in decarbonizing BC’s gas system
Renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen are critically important to decarbonizing our energy system in BC and meeting CleanBC targets.
To be clear, RNG is not a fossil fuel. It is low-carbon energy that is increasingly helping BC meet its clean energy targets. FortisBC has RNG agreements with local governments such as the City of Vancouver, the City of Surrey, Metro Vancouver, Capital Regional District, City of Kelowna, City of Salmon Arm, and others to produce RNG from municipal landfills, compost, and wastewater facilities. We also source RNG from agricultural operations and are working to develop RNG supply from forestry waste.
RNG reduces emissions and delivers affordable, low carbon energy to consumers, while also supporting economic development. Through the production of RNG, we capture biogenic methane that is already part of the natural carbon cycle and use it to displace conventional natural gas. As a result, the emissions intensity of our RNG supply are lower than hydroelectricity. For more information on the RNG process and emissions, click here.
Our near-term goal is to have at least 15 per cent of our supply be renewable and low-carbon by 2030, and we are on track to exceed that target. Currently, FortisBC has contracted for approximately 10 per cent of our supply to come from RNG. To put that into perspective, that is equivalent to 18 petajoules of RNG annually which is enough to heat 320,000 homes, or about the same amount of energy that will be generated annually by Site C, and more affordably. Last year, our investments in emissions reductions helped our customers avoid approximately 800,000 tonnes of CO2e, the equivalent to taking 238,000 cars off the road.
To further decarbonize our system, we are also helping build the province’s hydrogen industry. Our system will play a critical role in the delivery of hydrogen, especially serving BC’s industrial and transportation sectors. We are working with institutions like the University of British Columbia-Okanagan and other industry collaborations to advance the introduction of hydrogen into our system.
Advancing climate action in BC communities
There are many conversations taking place at local council tables about how to meet BC’s climate targets. We are supportive of these important discussions and acknowledge the complexity of the issues as we collectively seek a more sustainable, affordable and reliable energy future.
Infrastructure, such as BC’s gas and electric systems, is a critically important enabler to achieving this future and to maximizing low carbon options for British Columbians. We believe that preserving access to affordable, low-carbon renewable gases like RNG and hydrogen will help provide more tools to advance climate action in BC’s communities. Our application to the BC Utilities Commission would ensure that new homes connected to our system are supplied by 100 per cent RNG. In contrast, policies that restrict or ban access to gas infrastructure remove an affordable, decarbonized choice for consumers.
Further, we need renewable and low-carbon gases to meet provincial and local climate targets. While electrification will be a big part of the solution, the pathway to decarbonizing BC’s energy system also requires FortisBC’s gas system to ramp up renewable energy delivery. More access to renewable and low-carbon gases, using our extensive existing infrastructure, will provide the quickest and most versatile path to net-zero.
We are committed to decarbonizing the energy we deliver to customers in over 150 local governments and First Nations in our service area. Working together, we can ensure that British Columbians continue to have access to reliable, clean, affordable energy.
Our team looks forward to meeting with you at UBCM and throughout the year.
Sincerely,
Doug Slater Vice President Indigenous Relations and Regulatory Affairs
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