Brady landfill methane options up for debate

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This article was published 08/02/2021 (1724 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The next steps for the City of Winnipeg to mitigate emissions from the Brady Road landfill remain unclear, as a report on the prospects is being put before councillors this week.

The report, compiled by city administrators, considers four options to use methane produced at the landfill for functional purposes to offset greenhouse gas emissions from other sectors.

The south-end Winnipeg site is the second-largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in the province.

Coun. Brian Mayes — chairman of the water and waste, riverbank management and environment committee that will be fielding the report — says, for years, the prospect of piping such gas to the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry campus for heating has been a favoured proposal.

However, the report ranks this option as the worst of the four choices on an economic basis: on a 20-year time horizon, it would have a negative return on investment to the tune of $12.5 million.

“I do want to hear from the U of M though, because for years that’s been discussed at city hall… and this is saying that’s not viable, but I don’t want to rush this. I know U of M students, U of M (administration) have talked about this for years,” Mayes told the Free Press on Monday.

Mayes is in favour of exploring the potential for federal or provincial funds to be used to shift the math in this project’s favour. He said as the committee approaches a decision point, cost can’t be the only consideration — the most climate-conscious choice should be made.

However, city administrators were unequivocal in the report: such a project with the U of M “would result in net revenue losses to the city from project inception and should not be pursued.”

Alternatively, the report recommends further study of a project that would involve the construction of a refinement system that would convert methane produced at the landfill into commercial-grade gas that could then be sold on the open market.

The report suggests this option would make money for the city over the course of 20 years, with a return of approximately $21.4 million. It recommends using $2.5 million allotted in the city’s capital budget for the Brady landfill site to develop a business case for such a facility, as well as engineering and design specifications.

The committee will address the Brady landfill report at its Tuesday meeting.

“The city has been accused of not doing anything on climate change, so it’s good we’re trying to make some positive steps here,” Mayes said.

Since 2013, flaring has been used at the landfill to deal with methane produced by the decomposition of organic materials. By burning the methane, it is converted into carbon dioxide emissions which are far less potent. Upgrades to the flaring system were made in 2017, and again in 2019.

The latest emissions report shows data from 2018, when Brady Road landfill produced roughly the same level of emissions it did in 2004 (approximately 400 kilotonnes of CO2 equivalent). However, emissions have decreased from a peak in 2012. Emissions rose year over year in 2017 and 2018.

sarah.lawrynuik@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @SarahLawrynuik