Item - 2023.IE4.2

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services and / or designate, to negotiate and enter into any agreements, amendments of existing agreements, or acknowledgements - including on the basis of a non-competitive procurement under Municipal Code Chapter 195, Purchasing - necessary to investigate, evaluate, produce, manage, distribute, use and sell hydrogen and other renewable energies and associated environmental attributes on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services and to the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

2. City Council authorize the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services and / or designate, to investigate and accept external funding from all levels of government and organizations, for Solid Waste Management activities including but not limited to renewable energies and landfill management and on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

3. City Council endorse Solid Waste Management Services to explore the feasibility and market value of hydrogen and other renewable energies that may be derived from the City's waste processing facilities.

Since 2015, Solid Waste Management Services has been working to explore opportunities to create renewable energy from the landfill gas and biogas produced at its organics processing facilities and existing and closed landfills. The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the renewable natural gas project being implemented by Solid Waste Management Services at the City's Green Lane Landfill.

In 2016, City Council granted the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, delegated authority to enter into renewable natural gas Projects and agreements. Further to this authority, in 2019, City Council also granted the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services delegated authority to negotiate and enter into any new agreements necessary in connection with the efforts to produce, manage, market, distribute, use and sell renewable natural gas and other environmental attributes associated with renewable natural gas production.

This report is seeking authorities to also explore and develop potential hydrogen and other renewable energies that can be derived from landfill gas/biogas, and to apply for and accept funding for Solid Waste Management activities including but not limited to renewable energy projects and advancement of landfill gas management.

In 2020, Solid Waste Management Services initiated a study to investigate the most beneficial use of the landfill gas collected at Green Lane Landfill. Various technology solutions were evaluated against criteria that was co-developed with the three First Nations Communities in close proximity to the landfill and other key stakeholders.

The study recommended a phased approach with renewable natural gas as the cornerstone of the project, which will enable future add-ons such as hydrogen, and other renewable energies. Since concluding the study, Solid Waste Management Services has been negotiating the necessary agreements to implement an renewable natural gas Facility at Green Lane Landfill. This project has the potential to generate enough renewable natural gas to meet 50 per cent of the City's (Agencies and Boards excluded) annual natural gas needs and realize significant greenhouse gas emission reductions towards TransformTO Net Zero Goals.