Biomass heat plant replacement underway at Dalhousie University

A $24.2 million thermal plant replacement is underway at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Biomass Magazine reports. The project, aimed at updating the aging facility, entails replacing steam lines with hot water lines, installing a wood boiler and new air quality controls, and adding a turbine that will generate up to 1 MW of power.

“We have already converted our steam system to hot water—that part is done,” Rochelle Owen, executive director at Dalhousie University Office of Sustainability, says according to the report. “The biomass boiler and turbine are also there, and work is being done to get those set up and connected. At the same time, there is work being done on the fuel bin, so there is a lot going on on-site right now.”

The facility will rely on 20,000 metric tons of biomass annually from local sources—mostly sawmill residue— for its energy needs. The university notes that all of its supplier contracts are already in place.

The updates will help the university meet its carbon reduction goals, while potentially generating around $1.36 million annually through excess power sales.

The project, which was originally slated to be finished in June, is reportedly ahead of schedule, opening up the possibility of a May completion date.