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Waste to Energy Funds
Notice given by: Councillor Hughes
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BUDGET POSTPONED MOTION:
recommendation
That the Waste to Energy pilot funds of $1,000,000 is released and returned to the capital reserve.
Alternative suggested recommendation:
That the "Pilot Scale Waste to Energy" project be closed and the unused funds be uncommitted within the reserve.
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Administration’s Understanding of the Intent of the Motion:
That the "Pilot Scale Waste to Energy" project receive no additional funding from the Stabilization Reserve. That the "Pilot Scale Waste to Energy" project be closed.
Operational or Organizational Impacts if Motion is Approved:
The Pilot Scale Waste to Energy project would be closed.
Financial Implications of Motions:
No further costs would be charged to the project and the remaining balance would be uncommitted within the reserve.
Stakeholder Consultations:
Notification would be provided to the design builder, the City of Edmonton and FCM.
Background:
This project, for the design and construction of a temporary gasification facility to evaluate waste to energy as a landfill diversion alternative for St. Albert's brown bin waste, originally received conditional approval from Council on November 18, 2019 (AR-19-402). The budget of $1,000,000 from the Stabilization Reserve was conditional upon 75% funding from third party sources and contingent upon acceptable agreements being executed.
Administration investigated numerous grant programs and applied for four, three of which were unsuccessful (the fourth with FCM is on hold pending additional information). Feedback received has been that Waste to Energy is not a provincial or federal priority for grant funding and the temporary nature of the project also made it less of a match for grant programs.
Administration approached several other municipalities in the Edmonton region to partner on the project. Support was expressed and the City of Edmonton offered $150,000 of land space, office space and utilities at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre as an "in kind" contribution. However, no other municipality has offered to contribute funds towards the project.
To date, $55,831.00 has been spent on design and permitting. The design builder completed a 60% design and all applicable City of Edmonton permits have been obtained.
To Administration's knowledge, the City of St. Albert does not have any outstanding obligations with the design builder.
As a result of policy work by the EMRB under the Solid Waste Collective and recent discussions amongst municipalities within the region, there has been renewed interest this past Fall from regional partners in possibly participating in the pilot program. A meeting of regional CAOs to discuss the matter further has been scheduled for December 21, 2021.
Report Date: December 2, 2021
Author: Regan Lefebvre
Committee/Department: Public Operations (Utilities)
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer: Kerry Hilts
Chief Administrative Officer: Kevin Scoble