Shirley looks like she would like to make the announcement.

I have looked for information on a cost benefit analysis for this very expensive taxpayer funded heating system and cannot seem to find any information. Same with the electric car. How did it do last winter?

Taxpayer money being spent but seems short on information unless I missed it somewhere. Oh well its all about the grants I suppose.

Speaking of district energy systems, how is the one in downtown Prince George performing? Are we seeing reduced costs to operate the city buildings? How much less natural gas is being used to heat the buildings that are connected to it?

Hey we have no money for primary education but we have funds for pie in the sky projects. And where did they borrow the money from for this project?
Cheers

Seamutt,

Surely you jest! The government, our provincial government, doing a cost benefit analysis before spending our money? Come on, where ever have you seen evidence of that in the past?

All kidding aside, it would probably be hard to do a cost benefit analysis on such a project right now, with the price of natural gas currently. It’s hard to beat natural gas as an energy source right now. I expect they would try and sell it on the merits of being able to lower tuition/housing costs for future UNBC students though, assuming the price of natural gas doesn’t stay in the toilet.

I thought she was looking sleepy. ☻

“The contribution will allow UNBC to begin the connection of its student residences, Enhanced Forestry Lab, and daycare facility to a new district energy system, which will cut down on the use of fossil fuels for heating.”

I would like to know how much fossil fuel is burnt hauling the hog fuel in from Isle Pierre?

They did not expect any return on their investment on the City Community Energy System for approx. 20 years. That was before the drop in natural gas prices.

I doubt that they would redo their numbers using todays gas prices, and the increases in the cost of fibre.

So it would probably be fair to say that we will never get any tangible benefits from these projects other than some alluding to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions which of course cannot be proven.

Air in Prince George with industry and the forest fires probably could not get much worse.

The pellet bio-thermal plant already exists. It was created to feed the EFL, but is seldom fired up as it was miscalculated in size and is too large. When it was introduced it was known that the raw price of fuel was going to be $25,000 more per year, than natural gas. So now they are going to add the load of the daycare and residence to the EFL pellet system such that it can be utilized and not just sitting there.
While in theory good for the environment ( and that is debatable ) it is no way cheaper than using natural gas.

In this time when UNBC is laying off staff and having other financial difficulties it seems the money could have actually been spent on something that would help students.

I don’t think its a pellet system. I believe they fire hog fuel, or “biomass” as its now known.