From cleaning up heavy-metal runoff from an abandoned copper mine on the shores of Howe Sound, British Columbia, to harnessing the wind's push and pull on the shores of Lake Huron, Ontario, EPCOR's long-term vision is to leave the environment in a better state than when we first encountered it.
Our pursuit of excellence has taken us across Canada and the United States to seek better and more environmentally efficient ways to satisfy our customers' energy and water needs.
EPCOR 's goal is to become one of North America's top-three power and water utilities and we mean to achieve that growth in a way that protects our air and water by reducing our environmental impact.
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Developing renewable and recycled energy and water
A full 35% of EPCOR's 3,400 MW of generated power comes from renewable sources and waste energy recycling. The Williams Lake Power Plant is the largest biomass plant in North America. Our Clover Bar Landfill Gas Generating Station converts methane - a greenhouse gas 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide - into useful energy while preventing harmful gases from reaching the atmosphere. And EPCOR derives in excess of 900 MW of power from waste energy recycling, generating useful energy products from waste heat and energy that would otherwise be lost.
EPCOR has also invested significantly in watershed protection and wastewater treatment, ensuring our communities can draw safe and clean drinking water now and in the future.
Read more about EPCOR's investment in renewable and recyclable energy and water |
Applying environmental technologies in power and water
EPCOR is committed to finding and developing the best available technologies economically achievable. We aren't concerned merely with creating cleaner power and cleaner water in the present. We're looking ahead to create a cleaner future.
- Cleaner power
Genesee 3 - Canada's cleanest coal-fired power plant - has achieved a 70-80% reduction in air emissions compared to vintage plants. We're also installing emissions control technology designed to capture 70% of mercury from coal, ahead of anticipated regulation.
- Cleaner water
In 2006, EPCOR began treating runoff bound for Howe Sound in British Columbia. In its first year, the Britannia Mine Water Treatment Plant removed 250,000 kg of heavy metal that would have polluted the marine environment. The Sierra Legal Defence Fund refers to Edmonton as a city renowned for the high quality of its water treatment in Canada's Drinking Water Report Card, October 2006. EPCOR is a Canadian leader in installing and operating new water treatment technologies. Edmonton was the first major Canadian city to enjoy drinking water treated with ultraviolet disinfection, later bringing the technology to smaller communities and advising others on installation.
- Cleaner future
EPCOR is also leading Canadian efforts to commercialize gasification technology. Work is underway at our Genesee site on the engineering and design of a new IGCC plant that will turn coal, oxygen and water into synthesis gas (syngas) and hydrogen. The technology has the potential to deliver electricity with near-zero emissions, providing long-term energy security, and improved air quality.
Read more about EPCOR's application of environmental technologies in power and water |
Reducing environmental impacts by empowering markets
EPCOR is actively involved in a variety of projects designed to empower North American markets to reduce the environmental impacts of power generation and water treatment.
In this section you can read about four initiatives EPCOR has undertaken. We focus on:
- promoting water conservation and infrastructure renewal
- creating real, verifiable reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
- improving the environmental performance of power generation using the best available technologies economically achievable
- advocating strongly for setting true-cost pricing strategies that promote resource conservation.
Read more about EPCOR's advocacy of strong, well-regulated market structures |