Markham District Energy (MDE) has announced the start of construction of its Low Carbon Energy Centre, the wastewater energy transfer (WET) project.
Once complete, the WET project, which will utilize the Region of York’s wastewater system, is expected to reduce MDE’s carbon emissions from the production of thermal energy by over 30,000 tonnes per year. Doing so, says MDE, will significantly contribute to the organization’s goal of becoming net-zero by 2050.
MDE leveraged funding for the project from several programs offered by the federal government, including USD 16.7M from the Low Carbon Economy Fund, USD 8.2M from the Green Municipal Fund, and a USD 135M loan facility from the Canada Infrastructure Bank combined with a USD 135M facility with CIBC, to support the expansion of its district energy network and transition to net-zero emissions.
MDE delivers reliable, cost-efficient heating and cooling to over 15 million square feet across 240 buildings across its network. Through a system of underground pipes, energy is delivered to buildings in the form of hot water and chilled water to heat and cool building space.