General Infrastructure Discussion

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by allan_kuan

Hmm... isn't that hinting at a possible waste to energy plant placement in either Downtown Vancouver, Central Surrey, or Olympic Village? All three places I think have a variety of businesses / residences that use or will use steam in the future, so sales and revenue from steam production will be more sustainable as a result... The only problem of course is overcoming the sometimes insane opposition to these new plants...

if anything I think its hinting more at something like Annacis Island or Port Kells. a high concentration of industrial usages.

I have to say the feeding the steam to the River District Project is very interesting and would be great to see.

[BCPhil]

Wait, why does this story just blow off the closing of a major industrial plant like it is an inconsequential MacGuffin to the plot of taxpayers needing to pay $4.2 million for an upgrade? Sure, $4.2 million and a loss in revenue is bad news, but worse news is the Norampac linerboard mill closing, yet there is half a sentence dedicated to that. That's a lot of good paying jobs and business taxes down the crapper.

[GeeCee]

A paper industry plant closing isn't exactly headline news these days. It's a dying industry, and is happening more and more frequently. It was also initially announced and reported in the media back in September. No sense in moaning about it now.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

Wait, why does this story just blow off the closing of a major industrial plant like it is an inconsequential MacGuffin to the plot of taxpayers needing to pay $4.2 million for an upgrade? Sure, $4.2 million and a loss in revenue is bad news, but worse news is the Norampac linerboard mill closing, yet there is half a sentence dedicated to that. That's a lot of good paying jobs and business taxes down the crapper.

I thought the exact same, there goes another lingering thread of our heavy industry in this region. Very sad, oh well, i guess we will all soon be making 10 bucks an hour at a crappy service job in a metro where the average housing / condo cost is completely out of whack.

[DKaz]

There is an industry wide shortage of CAD drafters... just a heads up.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by GeeCee

A paper industry plant closing isn't exactly headline news these days. It's a dying industry, and is happening more and more frequently. It was also initially announced and reported in the media back in September. No sense in moaning about it now.

How soon do you think it will be before we see the headline that the former Norampac site is now the newest & greenest LEED-Platinum housing development with eco-friendly steam to heat all the buildings in the new community?

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by DKaz

There is an industry wide shortage of CAD drafters... just a heads up.

I wanted to get into that when I was on EI but my case worker said there is no demand and that funding and training was not available, the BC gov't labels the field as "fair" and therefore is not in demand - anyway, still interested in it - maybe when i finish school i will look into it

[Alex Mackinnon]

Originally Posted by jsbertram

How soon do you think it will be before we see the headline that the former Norampac site is now the newest & greenest LEED-Platinum housing development with eco-friendly steam to heat all the buildings in the new community?

I'd say probably not likely. Although it would make a whole lot of sense for that steam to be diverted and used for district heating for all those warehouses nearby. Problem is someone needs to step up and act as a utility to distribute the heat. They probably should have built those buildings nearby with this in mind.

There's a lot of construction going on in that neck of the woods. I went for a ride around there last night since it wasn't raining. You can finally drive between Byrne Rd. and the incinerator without having to double back to Marine.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by GeeCee

A paper industry plant closing isn't exactly headline news these days. It's a dying industry, and is happening more and more frequently. It was also initially announced and reported in the media back in September. No sense in moaning about it now.

Maybe if the mill produced phone book paper or newsprint, but this was a box factory. When was the last time you needed to packaged something, but used the internet instead?

Not only that, but Cascades is all into this "green" manufacturing, and what is more green than manufacturing with steam energy produced by recycling? In reality, they are just closing the plant here and one in Quebec and moving into a facility in NY, so they can export raw materials at bargain basement rates and escape our taxes. I mean, the mills are in Niagara Falls; its almost impossible to be closer to Canada without being in Canada.

But instead of a story about a Canadian company exporting jobs and resources to the US, its about how the taxpayer is on the hook for $4 million. Instead of a story about how we should be shaking our fist at a greedy Quebec company, we get a story that wants us to shake our fist at Metro Vancouver for building such a stupid machine. "It so stupid it was only good for one thing and now THEY don't even want it, isn't the government stupid!"

[officedweller]

Of interest - looks like Central Heat Distribution Ltd. is being purchased by someone named Creative Energy:

http://www.bcuc.com/ApplicationView....licationId=416

http://www.bcuc.com/Documents/Procee...pplication.pdf

Also of interest is Telus Gardens' application for a local energy utility (from 2012):

http://www.bcuc.com/ApplicationView....licationId=373

[spm2013]

Central Heat of Vancouver acquired by Creative Energy Canada

Posted on November 23, 2013 by districtenergy


The British Columbia Utilities Commission has approved the sale of Central Heat Distribution Ltd. (CHDL) of Vancouver, BC to Creative Energy Canada Platforms Corp. of Vancouver.

Central Heat is a long time member of the International District Energy Association (IDEA), founded in 1968 by Jim Barnes and his colleagues. Barnes was an IDEA Norman R. Taylor Award winner in 1991—IDEA’s tribute to its “Person of the Year,” and the top honor IDEA can confer on an individual, recognizing that person’s lifetime achievements and contributions to the district heating and cooling industry. Jim Barnes was succeeded by his son, John Barnes, as CEO of District Heat Distribution Ltd.

To effect the acquisition, Creative Energy will purchase all issued and outstanding common shares of CHDL stock, which will result in CHDL becoming a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Creative Energy. The amount was not disclosed.

In its concluding Order (Order Number G-190-13), the Commission noted that Creative Energy held that the acquisition of CHDL will not result in adverse change or detrimental effect on CHDL’s existing customers or how current steam service is provided to existing customers and that it will not seek to recover any of the acquisition premium or transaction costs incurred in connection with the sales transaction from CHDL’s customers. The Commission also noted that no interveners have submitted any information requests or made submissions to express opposition to the acquisition.

http://www.districtenergy.org/blog/2...energy-canada/

Their website:

http://creativeenergycanada.com/

[officedweller]

Major water project taking next step in Metro Vancouver
Vancouver, BC, Canada / (CKNW AM) AM980

Liza Yuzda

January 30, 2014 08:59 am

A major metro Vancouver infrastructure project is just getting under way but you wouldn’t know even though thousands drive over it every day.

Metro Vancouver Board Chair, Greg Moore, says worker are on the first steps of a new water tunnel running about 60 meters under the Fraser River connecting Coquitlam and Surrey.

“They’re assembling the boring machine about 100 meters down right now and then they’re going to start to go across just down river from the Port Mann Bridge.”

He says not only will it allow more volume to move it’s also earthquake proof.

He says the water will flow through in early 2015.

http://www.cknw.com/2014/01/30/23901/

[officedweller]

Big article in the Vnacouver Sun on Ian Gillespie's takeover of Central Heat Distribution:

http://www.vancouversun.com/technolo...405/story.html

Westbank Projects developer Ian Gillespie takes control of low-carbon energy program with purchase of Central Heat
Ian Gillespie to convert city’s gas-powered steam heat system as first step

By Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun
February 24, 2014

...

Central Heat, which provides steam heat to more than 210 buildings in the downtown area, has been in existence since the 1960s. But its six older natural gas boilers, which allow the utility to keep utility rates far below the rest of the industry, are also considered by Vancouver to be the single biggest source of greenhouse gases in the city, producing upwards of 70,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

As a result, getting Central Heat to convert to low-carbon sources has been a major target of the city’s plan. City Manager Penny Ballem said the city tried unsuccessfully for five years to convince the previous owners to invest in new technology and make the switch.

Last week, in an interview with The Vancouver Sun, Gillespie acknowledged he now plans to convert Central Heat to a low-carbon source and run it through a new company, Creative Energy Canada Platforms Corp. A number of Gillespie’s recent projects, including the Woodward’s and Shangri-La buildings, are hooked up to Central Heat. Eventually, he intends to expand the system to Gastown, Downtown Eastside, south downtown and the West End.

Those areas align perfectly with the city’s low carbon energy strategy, which city council approved in October, 2012. The program is modelled on a pilot project the city built for the 2010 Winter Olympics on the south shore of False Creek. That city-owned utility uses waste heat recovered from sewage lines to power the Olympic Village and surrounding buildings. It requires all new buildings in several key areas of the city to hook into district utilities. In areas where such utilities don’t yet exist, the city still requires new buildings to be built with connections that can be made at a later date.

...

Brian Crowe, the city’s director of water, sewers and district utility, said Central Heat, under its old owner, had also put together a partnership with Fortis BC to provide heat to the northeast False Creek lands being developed by Concord Pacific and Aquilini Investments. However, he said, Central Heat now indicates it will proceed with those service expansions itself.

http://www.vancouversun.com/technolo...405/story.html

[s211]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Big article in the Vnacouver Sun on Ian Gillespie's takeover of Central Heat Distribution:

In areas where such utilities don’t yet exist, the city still requires new buildings to be built with connections that can be made at a later date.

Honest? One more reason why housing costs are rising.

Why stop here? I want provision for my Star Trek transporter included then, also.

[officedweller]

Most of the Concord Pacific building are connected to Central Heat - if the model is based on the SEFC utility, I'd expect them to have to pay additional service charges in future.

[officedweller]

It would be interesting if they install waste incineration equipment.

[officedweller]

Article today in The Vancouver Sun on the Port Mann Water Supply Tunnel.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/n...b5b4df&k=39943

Apparently, the TBM bored tunnel will be 3.5 m in diameter, and a 1.2 m diameter steel pipe will be installed within the tunnel.

Also - from the Surrey Leader March 5, 2014:

http://www.surreyleader.com/news/248589571.html

See the Metro Vancouver website:

http://www.metrovancouver.org/servic...plyTunnel.aspx


http://www.metrovancouver.org/servic...plyTunnel.aspx

[cairnstone]

Originally Posted by officedweller

It would be interesting if they install waste incineration equipment.

I could be wrong but I believe orginally Central Heat was built to burn hog fuel and was converted to gas in the late 80s. I heard this when I was doing my power engineering coarse, They would take the waste wood and burn it at high temps creating less pollution than

[officedweller]

Of interest WRT incinerators:

http://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/269247651.html

Opponents of Metro Vancouver's waste-to-energy strategy have been dealt a blow by the B.C. Utilities Commission.

Regulators there have approved an electricity purchase agreement that will see BC Hydro pay $43 per megawatt-hour for power from Metro's existing garbage incinerator in Burnaby.

Critics had argued Metro's garbage-fueled electricity can't count as clean and renewable under provincial law and therefore should be worth much less – closer to the $24 spot price for power exported to the U.S.

The aim of incineration opponents was to blow a hole not just in the revenue from the existing plant but also in the business case for a future new waste-to-energy plant, which Metro Vancouver has assumed will earn around $100 per megawatt-hour.

http://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/269247651.html

[officedweller]

$550 M expansion of the Annacis Island Wastewater Treatment Plant:

Wastewater treatment plant getting $550 million upgrade
by Russell Hixson Oct 14, 2014

...

The current facility is designed to treat waste for one million people.

The stage five project will expand the plant to handle an additional 250,000 people.

Metro Vancouver is about four years into the project and is currently working on the detail design for phase one, which is expected to be complete next fall.

Overall, the project is about 60 per cent complete on the design, Ferguson said.

Phase one target completion is 2018. The first phase includes expansion of primary tankage, secondary clarifiers, solid contact tanks and additional odour facilities.

...


Furthermore, Stage five expansion must be co-ordinated with other projects at the facility, including improvements to back up power and co-generation facility ($47 million) which generates 50 per cent of the plant's electricity; major clarifier maintenance ($20 million) and expansion of the Annacis outfall ($130 million).

All the Annacis projects total about $750 million.

The plant serves much of the Tri-Cities, Burnaby, Maple Ridge, Delta, Surrey, Pitt Meadows, Langley and White Rock. The last expansion was in 1998.


Photo: Metro Vancouver

http://www.journalofcommerce.com/Inf...rade-1002683W/