December 3, 2008

Beedie Group and Terasen plan $25-million alternative energy system at Fraser Mills

Terasen Energy Services has signed an agreement with The Beedie Group to design, build and manage an alternative district energy system for the developer’s mixed-use development project, the Village at Fraser Mills in Coquitlam, B.C.

The Village at Fraser Mills is to be built on the site of a vacant lumber mill and mill town along the Fraser River. The 89-acre development will include 3,700 residential units, 275,000 square feet of commercial/retail space and 600,000 square feet of business park/ light industrial space. It will also feature 16 acres of open space, parks and trails.

“The district energy system will reduce the demand on the province’s electricity grid, and could displace up to 8,200 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year — the equivalent of removing more than 2,500 cars from the road,” said Gareth Jones, Terasen Energy Services Vice President and General Manager.

“Several alternative energy solutions are being considered, including a waste heat recovery system that will turn excess heat from a nearby paper recycling plant into sustainable energy for local residents and businesses.”

“We recognize the importance of respecting the environment when developing a building or a complete community, so we asked Terasen Energy Services to develop and manage a district energy system,” said Ryan Beedie, president of The Beedie Group.

“Most developments continue to rely on conventional forms of heat for buildings and hot water; however consumer demand for sustainable, affordable homes has increased dramatically in the past few years.”

Other technologies under consideration for the project include a biomass system that uses renewable waste plant materials to produce energy and a geoexchange system that can extract heat from the ground.

Each option has the potential to be combined with waste heat recovery systems and when new energy supply options become available, they can be easily integrated into the district energy system.

Construction of the Fraser Mills project is expected to start in the fall of 2009 and the first phase of the system may be operational as early as 2011. Terasen Energy Services will own and operate the system as part of a long-term service contract.

– RCD Digital Media

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