Fortis BC awards incentive for reducing energy consumption
“Incentives like this make significant commitments to energy reduction for industrial customers viable,” said Doug Stout, vice president of energy solutions and external relations for FortisBC. “We’re thankful for the opportunity to collaborate with West Fraser, and we look forward to working with industrial customers to assist in improving the efficiency of their operations.”
By undertaking the program, Quesnel River Pulp will receive funding up to 50 per cent of the cost of its energy efficient upgrades, to a maximum of $1 million. The incentive from FortisBC covers the costs of the project, including new equipment, installation and old equipment removal, including taxes. With the aid of the incentive, Quesnel River Pulp may be able to reduce the payback period on its equipment investment within a few years.
“The incentive from FortisBC offers significant value to our operation. Our plant process uses a lot of energy, and this partnership with FortisBC has allowed us to make smart decisions with respect to equipment upgrades,” said Keith Carter, general manager of Quesnel River Pulp. “These upgrades reduce our dependence on fossil fuel energy sources and create savings which are critical to the competitiveness of our business.”
A major component contributing to the efficiency was the replacement of heat exchangers with more efficient spiral-wound units. The new units reduce the amount of natural gas required for drying the pulp. The pulp mill will save approximately 70,000 gigajoules GJs of natural gas annually, the equivalent amount of natural gas consumed by all customers in the city of Vancouver over the course of two days. The savings will also amount to an estimated 3,317 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of taking 650 cars off the road per year.
The Industrial technology Retrofit Program is available for FortisBC industrial customers who use more than 10,000 GJs for process heating. Depending on consumption, participants have the option of receiving up to 75 per cent of the cost of implementing new equipment up to a maximum of $375,000, or receiving up to 50 per cent of the cost to a maximum of $1 million. Industrial customers can learn if this program is right for them by contacting FortisBC at 1-888-224-2710 or visiting their website at fortisbc.com/industry.
Related News

U.S. Department of Energy Announces $110M for Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) has announced approximately $110 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development (R&D) projects under three funding opportunity announcements (FOAs). Approximately $75M is for awards selected under two FOAs announced earlier this fiscal year; $35M is for a new FOA.
These FOAs further the Administration’s commitment to strengthening coal while protecting the environment. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is increasingly becoming widely accepted as a viable option for fossil-based energy sources—such as coal- or gas-fired power plants and other industrial sources—to lower their carbon dioxide…