Edmonton International Airport (EIA) in Canada has unveiled a new natural gas cogeneration facility that will significantly lower carbon emissions in line with its continued commitment to environmental sustainability.
As well as lowering carbon emissions the new $11 million facility will also reduce costs for the airport, providing heat and electricity for airport operations from the same source. The heat from the electrical power generation is now captured and used to heat water, which heats the airport’s terminal. The new cogeneration power plant will reduce Edmonton Airport’s annual carbon emissions by approximately 20% or 7,000-8,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. That’s roughly the same as taking 2,400 vehicles off the road.
Construction on the new facility began in 2019 and it became operational in spring of this year. Once fully operational, it will also reduce EIA’s energy costs by roughly $800,000 per year. The airport describes the implementation of an energy and heat production facility onsite as a direct response to the desire for real, lasting and sustainable change in the aviation sector.
“We’re pleased to announce the installation of cogeneration plant as it will offer critical reductions in CO2e for our EIA airport sustainability campus,” said Tom Ruth, President and CEO, Edmonton International Airport, thanking the airport’s partners in opening the facility – the Government of Alberta and ATCO. “Our company is committed to being carbon-neutral by 2040 under our commitment to The Climate Pledge and this cogeneration facility goes a long way to helping us get closer to that goal by reducing our current emissions by 20%.”
Other initiatives the airport has adopted in working towards carbon-neutral growth, include: the world’s largest solar farm at an airport; becoming the first airport in the world to join The Climate Pledge; measuring and reporting on energy and carbon targets; LEED certification of its central tower and terminal expansion project; participating with the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme.
