The Government of Canada is in the process of decarbonizing scores of buildings through a revitalized district energy system in the Ottawa region, massively reducing costs and greenhouse gas emissions. “The Energy Services Acquisition Program modernizes the heating and cooling infrastructure that serves many government buildings,” says Tom Savard, the general superintendent with PCL Construction who is co-leading the project. “The heating network is being changed from steam to low-temperature hot water and the cooling network is being replaced with high-efficiency components and leverages the cool water of the nearby Ottawa River.”

The district energy system in question heats 80 buildings in and around Ottawa and cools 67, including the Parliament Buildings. Some of the buildings date back to the 1860s and much of the current infrastructure was built between 1916 and 1971. “It’s obsolete,” says Savard.” The modernization will cut greenhouse gas emissions and save the client – and therefore all Canadians – money.”

The ongoing work will see one existing power plant renovated to accommodate modernized equipment, three new plants built and one plant decommissioned. It also includes the installation of more than 30 kilometers of piping across two provinces. The modernized energy centres and interconnected distribution network will create one of the largest district energy systems in North America.

Stage 1 of the modernization project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a total of 63% once it is completed in 2025. Stage 2 initiatives will bring total reductions to more than 90% when compared to a 2005 baseline level.

A district energy system distributes heating and cooling from centralized plants to multiple buildings in an area or neighborhood. This process uses far less energy than having boilers and chillers running independently in each building. Modern district energy systems are one of the lowest-cost, most efficient solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and primary energy demand.

Large-scale direct energy systems like ESAP are rare in North America but are common in Europe and elsewhere. In Denmark, for example, the Copenhagen district heating system provides more than 98% of the demand for heating across the city. Nearly 1,500 kilometers of pipe connect about 500,000 residents to the system.

Through an open, fair and transparent procurement process, the Government of Canada selected Innovate Energy to design, build and operate the district energy system. Innovate Energy is made up of PCL Construction and our partners at Black & McDonald and EQUANS. The latter will operate and maintain the system for 25 years.

Through our combined resources and experience, the partners will deliver a unique, system that will reduce carbon emissions and make the Canadian government a world leader in the fight against climate change.