St. Catharines, Ontario — General Motors expects to cut its net greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent while reducing its reliance on hydro, through a $28-million cogeneration project unveiled at its St. Catharines operation Monday.
A project that has seen several years of planning before work officially started two years ago will have gas piped in from a landfill, on property belonging to Walker Industries, three kilometres away.
The gas, that would normally have been vented off, will now go through four 1.6-megawatt generators with 20 cylinder engines, ultimately providing the plant with 35% of its electricity needs.
David Peterson, GM’s vice-president of corporate and environmental affairs says this project will “enable (the St. Catharines) plant to continue to be one of the most competitive plants in the North American market.”