First Nation in Surrey to build organic waste facility with federal funding

First Nation in Surrey to build organic waste facility with $14.4 million in federal funding

Artistic rendering of an example of an organic waste facility that produces renewable natural gas and compost. Not the actual design for the facility on the reserve of the Semiahmoo First Nation. (Andion Global)

The Semiahmoo First Nation is partnering with Andion Global to build an organic waste recycling facility on its reserve in South Surrey.

To help support the cost of building the project, it has received $14.4 million in funding from the federal government’s Natural Resources Canada department.

This is a project to build a full-scale anaerobic digestion facility to process organic waste from homes and businesses in the Metro Vancouver region, while also generating renewable natural gas that can be sold to FortisBC’s natural gas distribution network.

Furthermore, in addition to the revenue generated from the facility’s users and the resulting renewable natural gas, the end product of nutrient-rich compost can also be sold to local farms.

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The revenue-generating project for the First Nation will be jointly owned by their economic arm, Semiahmoo LLC, and the Vancouver-based company.

By sending decaying organic waste to such a processing hub instead of landfills, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and preserves landfill capacity for non-recyclable materials. The region currently lacks capacity and options for processing organic waste.

“We are very proud to have formed and progressed this very unique partnership with the Semiahmoo First Nation. The facility will be of enormous value to the local communities both environmentally and economically,” said Phillip Abrary, CEO of Andion.

Last year, Andion announced it secured $270 million in new financing to expand its operations and build more organic waste facilities to create renewable energy in the North American and European markets.

andion global organic waste facility renewable natural gas

Diagram of how a organic waste facility works, with anaerobic digestion leading to the production of renewable natural gas and compost. (Andion Global)

This is the First Nation’s first major economic development project on their reserve, which is located on the Boundary Bay waterfront, just east of White Rock.

Water is a key component for the anaerobic digestion process of renewable natural gas production.

It should be noted that the Semiahmoo First Nation’s reserve did not receive water tie-in connections until 2021, when the City of Surrey completed the connection following lengthy negotiations with the band.

Up until recently, the First Nation was under one of the longest continuous boil water advisories in Canadian history. The reserve began to experience water quality issues in 1995, and a boil water advisory was in place between 2005 and 2021. This not only affected the quality of life of the First Nation’s on-reserve residents, but also the potential economic development opportunities.

“We have carefully and thoughtfully chosen a project that aligns with our core values to preserve and protect the natural environment, while bringing economic benefits to the nation,” said Semiahmoo Chief Harley Chappell.

“We will be a partner and a co-owner of the project which will be situated on the Semiahmoo lands. This project set a new precedent in BC for environmental stewardship by creating clean, carbon-negative renewable energy.”

Location of the Semiahmoo First Nation reserve. (Google Maps)

Such a facility also supports FortisBC’s ambitious targets to reduce its dependency on a natural gas supply that comes from fossil fuel sources. Last year, the utility indicated it is on pace to exceed its target of having 15% of its supply be renewable, and is striving to reach 75% by 2050.

Furthermore, FortisBC is also working to have every newly-built home in the province connected to their distribution system be supplied with 100% renewable natural gas for the entire lifespan of the structure.

Earlier this year, the City of Burnaby considered building its own regional-scale, revenue-generating organic waste facility at a cost of $182 million. It would process the organic waste of Burnaby households and businesses, with excess capacity sold to the region’s other municipalities and businesses. The generated renewable natural gas would provide a new cleaner fuel source for municipal vehicles, with excess capacity sold to FortisBC. Similarly, the resulting compost would also be sold to local agricultural businesses.

But Burnaby City Council sent the project back to the drawing board due to significant opposition to the plan to build the facility on Fraser River waterfront land that technically carries a park space designation.

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