Feds announce $24M for Blatchford district energy expansion with sewer heat exchange energy centre

Edmonton’s Blatchford community will build a sewer heat exchange energy centre amid expansion of its district energy sharing system.

The federal government announced Wednesday $23.7 million through its Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program for the City of Edmonton project valued at $79.2 million.

It’ll add 13.1 MW of heating and 12.3 MW of cooling capacity to the existing district energy system by installing an additional heat pump to increase heating and cooling capacity, extending the neighbourhood’s distribution piping network, and designing and building the new exchange centre.

Blatchford is a carbon-neutral community being developed on the site of the decommissioned City Centre Airport in Edmonton. It aims to use 100% renewable energy and one day be home to up to 30,000 Edmontonians.

“Blatchford is an incredible opportunity to build comfortable, durable homes in an amenity-rich central neighbourhood,” Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said in a release.

“This investment to expand district energy generation capacity — along with recent Housing Accelerator Funding to help connect district energy to Blatchford’s multi-unit housing — will go a long way in creating a more resilient, inclusive city for everyone.”

The expansion project is meant to help accommodate community growth and reliability of its electricity supply.

Approximately 40% of Edmonton’s greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings. Blatchford homes will release fewer greenhouse gas emissions (about 75% less) than homes in a typical community.

“Edmonton is growing quickly. We need to build more housing supported by sustainable infrastructure that will last for generations,” said Sohi.

Blatchford’s district energy system has been operating for five years. At full buildout, it is anticipated to be one of the largest ambient-temperature district energy systems in Canada, if not the largest.

The $4.5-billion smart renewables program is designed to significantly reduce emissions and create sustainable jobs by continuing to support the deployment of grid modernization, energy storage and renewables in every region of Canada.

Last year, the federal government released Powering Canada Forward, its vision for transforming Canada’s electricity sector and meeting its commitment to decarbonizing the country’s electricity systems.