Biomass District Heating System in Downtown Yellowknife can Reduce Emissions, Save Customers Money on Heating, and turn a Profit.
Continuing its work identifying cost-effective GHG reductions in the NWT, Alternatives North commissioned a detailed economic feasibility study on a Biomass District Heating System in Downtown Yellowknife.
This report confirms Alternatives North’s previous findings that biomass district heating can deliver meaningful, cost negative GHG reductions fast enough to help the NWT meet its emission reduction goals for 2030. It also demonstrates a new business opportunity as an energy provider.
“For-profit and not-for profit ownership models were analyzed under a variety of scenarios including differing carbon tax, climate warming, capital costs, grant funding, and fuel rates. We were happy to see that nearly all scenarios were profitable over a 30-year time period while including a 10% reduction on energy cost to ensure that connected customers would save on annual heating bills. This project reduces emissions, saves customers on heating, and turns a profit. It checks all the boxes we thought it would, and we hope that it’s enough to make developers take interest and get this project built” stated Lachlan MacLean, Alternatives North member and project manager.