The Project

Brenda Renewables Ltd. proposes to build and operate a Class A compost and anaerobic digester system that will eventually produce up to 170,000 GJ/year of renewable natural gas (RNG) from up to 150,000 tonnes/year of locally sourced organic waste. The RNG will be transported to an injection point on FortisBC's natural gas pipeline. The entire system is designed to ensure that there will be no offsite odour, noise or liquid discharge emissions.

​The facility will benefit the entire Okanagan valley by providing a local, long term, reliable organic processing service. Surrounding communities will also be able to use the locally-generated RNG through FortisBC, which will offset their carbon footprint.

Brenda Renewables Ltd will be operate the facility in partnership with Glencore Canada Corp.

zero waste, just energy

Anaerobic digestion produces biogas, which contains roughly 60% methane and 40% carbon dioxide. The gas will be upgraded to renewable natural gas and injected into the FortisBC pipeline.​

reduce, reuse, reforest

Useful products produced include “class A” compost that can be used to accelerate reclamation of the Brenda Mines site.​

create a diversion

Brenda Renewables will divert and process organic waste otherwise
destined for landfill – up to 410 tonnes per day / 2,900 tonnes per week.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Brenda Renewables Ltd?
Brenda Renewables Ltd. is a special purpose entity established to manage and operate the organics processing facility located at the Brenda Mines site.

What is Glencore Canada’s role in the project?
Glencore owns the Brenda Mines site and will oversee and approve any site use and access.

Will Brenda Renewables create any greenhouse gas emissions?
Renewable natural gas is created by capturing emissions from organic waste. No harmful by-products are produced and no environmental damage occurs. The anaerobic digester produces methane gas, which is upgraded to renewable natural gas and injected into the FortisBC pipeline. The CO2 emitted from organic waste produces no net increase in CO2 currently in the atmosphere.

Will Brenda Renewables impact reclamation efforts at the Brenda Mines site?
The anaerobic digester and subsequent compost process produces class A compost, which will be used at the Brenda Mines site to enhance re-vegetation and reclamation efforts.

Will there be any odour?
The digester is fully contained and produces no odour that can be detected outside of the immediate area. All air from the receiving hall is captured and then directed through a wood chip media bio filter. Once the food waste leaves the receiving hall it is pumped directly into the digester which is airtight.

How will the renewable natural gas be delivered to the FortisBC pipeline?
FortisBC will transport the RNG from the digester to their pipeline each day using double-walled enclosed tube trucks. This is a highly regulated process that will be operated by qualified FortisBC technicians.

Supporting CleanBC

With a carbon intensity score of -270 kC02/GJ, Brenda Renewables helps BC fight climate change. The province has a target of 0.75 Mt/year reduction in greenhouse gases (GHGs) from renewable energy projects. Each year, Brenda Renewables will reduce GHG emissions up to 0.054 Mt, approximately 7% of BC's goal! 

​​We turn waste into usable products, supporting our zero waste and circular economy goals. We work with local communities to collect municipal yard and garden waste, expired packaged goods, and fats, oils and greases. This organic waste typically ends up in landfill, creating unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions. Brenda Renewables will divert the material from landfill and turn it into usable, clean energy for the neighbouring region.

Brenda Renewables will process up to 150,000 tonnes of organic waste otherwise destined for landfill.

Brenda Renewables will produce up to 170,000 GJs of renewable natural gas, enough to power 2,500 homes!

Brenda Renewables will reduce GHG emissions by 54,000 tonnes.

 

The Site

Brenda Mines is a former copper-molybdenum mine located in the southern interior of British Columbia, approximately 22 kilometers west of Peachland in the Central Okanagan. Brenda Mines was officially closed, after 20 years of operation, in June 1990 due to depleted ore reserves. Site reclamation activities began in 1988 and included contouring and terracing of rock piles, aerial seeding and fertilization, and irrigation of newly planted areas.

​The proposed anaerobic digester will accelerate reclamation of the mine site. The digester uses almost no water and produces a Class A compost that can be land-applied to help enhance re-vegetation in the area.

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The System

Brenda Renewables will use a wet anaerobic digestion (AD) technology to process low solids organic feedstock (e.g. commercial foodwaste and source-separated organics from packaged food waste) and a high solids anaerobic digester (HSAD) to process high solids feedstocks (e.g. municipal yard/garden and foodwaste). The biogas produced will be upgraded to FortisBC’s specifications using Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology. The resulting renewable natural gas will be transported by FortisBC for injection into their natural gas distribution system.