ARC completes electrification of its Dawson III and IV facilities
All of the Company’s major natural gas plants in northeast British Columbia powered by renewable hydroelectricity.
Recently, ARC achieved another significant milestone in its longstanding journey of electrification of its asset base. With the electrification of our Dawson III and IV facilities, we are proud to announce that all of our major natural gas plants in northeast British Columbia (BC) are now powered by renewable hydroelectricity from BC’s provincial power grid. This project along with our prior electrification projects in BC, were made possible in part by funding through the Government of BC’s CleanBC Industry Fund.
“Electrification has been the major driver behind our industry-leading emissions performance,” said Armin Jahangiri, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, ARC Resources Ltd. “In total, electrification of our northeast BC asset base reduces our GHG emissions by approximately 400,000 tCO2e every year. This is critical in enabling the production of low-cost, low-emissions energy for the world.”
A Long History of Electrification
Electrification of Dawson III and IV marks the fourth major facility electrified in ARC’s northeast BC portfolio of assets since the company first started down this path in 2011. By converting these facilities from natural gas-fired generation to renewable hydroelectricity, electrification is anticipated to eliminate approximately 125,000 tCO2e from our Greater Dawson assets, the equivalent of taking approximately 27,000 cars off the road annually.
ARC’s history of electrification dates back to 2011 when we electrified our Dawson I and II facilities – an initiative that resulted in the avoidance of 75,000 tCO2e/year. Electrification of the Company’s Parkland and Sunrise facilities followed in 2018, which yielded a further emissions reduction of 103,000 tCO2e/year. In particular, electrification of Sunrise led to a 97 per cent reduction in absolute emissions compared to conventional facility design, making Sunrise a near zero emissions asset.
Looking Ahead
With the construction of substations at our Sunrise and Parkland assets, ARC has the necessary infrastructure and capacity to electrify additional facilities across our northeast BC field. This could include small-scale projects like the conversion of natural gas-fired compressors, or new builds as planned at our recently sanctioned project – Attachie Phase 1. Electrification will continue to play an important role in lowering our emissions and enabling our ESG leadership moving forward.
Learn more about our approach to emissions management and electrification.
