Teslin Tlingit Council, YG sign heat purchase deal
The Yukon government and the Teslin Tlingit Council signed a heat purchase agreement Tuesday.
The Yukon government and the Teslin Tlingit Council signed a heat purchase agreement Tuesday.
The agreement will supply the Khàtìnas.àxh Community School in Teslin with heat from the Teslin Tlingit Council’s (TTC’s) biomass facility, a renewable energy source.
Purchasing heat from the TTC’s biomass facility will benefit Teslin by advancing the use of renewable energy sources, fostering future opportunities for innovation in Teslin and supporting economic reconciliation, the government said in a statement.
Most of the biomass fuel costs and labour associated with the agreement will stay in Teslin, creating positive economic spin-offs.
Biomass is a clean, renewable energy source that reduces fossil fuel use, contributing to a cleaner and sustainable future for the territory.
The TTC’s biomass system, which has been in operation since 2017, will be used to heat the school starting this school year.
“The Government of Yukon is proud to work with Yukon First Nations and Yukon communities to support the advancement of renewable energy projects,” said Highways and Public Works Minister Nils Clarke.
“The signing of a heat purchase agreement for biomass fuel in Teslin’s Khàtìnas.àxh Community School is a great example of how government can support community-led renewable energy initiatives.”
TTC Chief Eric Morris said the council “is very pleased to announce the Teslin School Heating Agreement – an innovative agreement five years in the making between the Teslin Tlingit Council and the Yukon government allowing for the Teslin School and its students to benefit from the local renewable biomass heating source.
“This heat agreement will lower greenhouse gas emissions annually by replacing imported heating oil with carbon neutral biomass.”
Up to 90 per cent of the heat in Khàtìnas.àxh Community School will be produced with biomass. This represents a 106-tonne reduction in the school’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.
The TTC developed a world-class 1.5-megawatt waste-wood-fueled district heating system, incorporating biomass heating technologies from Austria in 2017.
This system has been operating successfully, supplying over 10 local buildings. Those include a multi-unit residential building and administration offices with renewable heat.
The use of biomass results in a reduced wildfire risk through the Fire Smart program by reducing fuel loads and creating necessary firebreaks around Teslin.
Comments (3)
Up 25 Down 6
Max Mack on Aug 24, 2023 at 5:27 pm
Be nice to know what we are paying for this deal. Anyone want to divulge that info?
Up 11 Down 13
Werner Rhein on Aug 24, 2023 at 2:33 pm
YT, what kind of creative math are you using that wood biomass produces more CO2 than coal?
Please show me.
The same with your idea about PV panels.
I think you must have a lot of fossil fuel energy shares.
Up 29 Down 10
YT on Aug 23, 2023 at 3:58 pm
“Biomass is a clean, renewable energy source that reduces fossil fuel use, contributing to a cleaner and sustainable future for the territory.”
Well, biomass is renewable assuming you’re planting trees to replace what you’re cutting, but other than that, anyone who’s saying biomass is clean has rose coloured glasses on.
Burning biomass for heating is worse than burning coal with respect to CO2 production and pollution. I’d love to see the creative math they used to come up with the 106 ton offset in CO2, because the math just doesn’t work. Period.
Biomass fuel cut and processed locally does create local jobs but other than that, there is no advantage to using it. From a CO2 production standpoint, they (and YG in general) would be better off sticking with oil, or better yet, high efficiency LPG fired heating appliances.
This can be filed along with PV panel installs for on-grid users, as a true fallacy.