Reaping the Benefits of Green Energy in British Columbia
By Chantal Hunter
February 2011
Zellstoff Celgar Pulp Mill, Castlegar, BC
What if by producing more renewable energy and decreasing their carbon footprint pulp and paper mills could bring additional long-term economic benefits to the communities in which they are located? Thanks to the Government of Canada’s Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program (PPGTP) this is a reality for more mills across Canada, including the Zellstoff Celgar Pulp Mill in British Columbia (BC). In early 2010, the Celgar Pulp Mill implemented the first phase of its Green Energy project so it could use more excess steam produced by its industrial processes to generate large amounts of electricity for BC residents.
First Mill to Receive PPGTP Funding
Located in Castlegar, BC, approximately 600 kilometers east of Vancouver, the Celgar Pulp Mill became the first facility to receive funding under the PPGTP for its Green Energy Project in December 2009. By mid-September 2010, construction was done — making it one of the first PPGTP projects to be completed.
This investment allowed the mill to use surplus steam that would otherwise be vented to the atmosphere and increase the production of steam from wood waste in order to generate more bioenergy. Significant environmental benefits have since resulted from the project, including a reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions, increased energy efficiency and reduced community odour and noise.
“This project is an outstanding example of sustainability as it improves the mill’s environmental footprint, supports jobs at the mill and in the community, and diversifies the mill’s revenue streams. Zellstoff Celgar is positioning itself to take advantage of future market opportunities by diversifying its product line to include green energy, while improving their energy efficiency,” says Glenn Hargrove, Director of the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).
A New Mega Condensing Turbine
Cherie Hanvold, Mike Conci, Jim Scouras (BC Hydro), Bill Bennett (BC Minister of Energy), Jim Abbott (MP), Mayor Laurence Chernoff (Castlegar) attend ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Zellstoff Celgar Pulp MillLarger image
PPGTP funding made a variety of improvements to the mill possible, including upgrades to the existing wood waste boiler and the installation of a new 48-megawatt condensing turbine. Before the new turbine came on-line, some excess steam used in pulp production was vented to the atmosphere. Now, the mill is generating even more electricity and exporting more to the BC Hydro power grid. Once the turbine is fully optimized, the additional electricity exported to the grid will be enough to meet the needs of 18,000 homes.
The steam is generated by burning wood residue and black liquor, a biofuel that is a byproduct of the pulp-making process. Mills producing pulp routinely use these renewable fuel sources to generate their own heat and energy, but creating surplus energy this way to sell to the electrical grid is a growing application in mills around the world.
While in the long-term the project was designed to generate clean, green energy from wood waste while reducing the mill’s greenhouse gas emissions, the seven-month construction period created the equivalent of 145 full-time jobs in the Castlegar region.
“The Green Energy Project is demonstrating the role our mill plays in sustainably using the natural resource entrusted to us,” said Al Hitzroth, Managing Director of Operations for Zellstoff Celgar. “This investment also secures Zellstoff Celgar’s role as a leader in green power generation from a renewable resource in the province of BC.”
To learn more, read our September 2010 article or visit the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program (PPGTP) web site.
To read about related articles, see Climate Change
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