British Columbia Utilities Commission granted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to River District Energy Limited Partnership (RDE), allowing RDE to construct and operate a District Energy Utility in southeast Vancouver. The project is found to serve the public interest and align with British Columbia’s energy objectives. The initial energy source will be natural gas; RDE plans to begin using waste heat generated by the Burnaby Waste to Energy Facility beginning in 2016. However, RDE is under no binding legal obligation to shift to a renewable energy source. The Commission is confident in the planned facility’s potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime, despite a projected 40% increase in GHG emissions by RDE over the first four years of the project.
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity sought