So, what is Renewable Natural Gas anyway?
We’re transforming BC’s energy future with Renewable Natural Gas1 (RNG), a low-carbon2 gas that puts waste to work. It's a low-carbon energy compared to conventional natural gas, and when added to the North American gas system, it can help reduce overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Please note: With recent approval from the British Columbia Utilities Commission, all gas customers will have a portion of their gas automatically designated as Renewable Natural Gas1 beginning July 1, 2024. This will support B.C.’s clean energy transformation. No action is required from customers, and we’ll keep you up to date as more information becomes available.
RNG in a nutshell
When organic waste decomposes, it naturally releases biogas, a GHG containing carbon dioxide and methane, into the atmosphere. Before this biogas can escape as GHGs—here’s where we put the waste to work—our suppliers capture and purify it to create RNG. RNG is low carbon, meaning, that using RNG can reduce the amount of GHG emissions released into the atmosphere.
6 common questions and answers about RNG
You probably have questions. We’re here to help by answering the 6 common questions people have about RNG.
North America’s natural gas systems are all interconnected, so when RNG is injected into the gas system, it mixes with conventional natural gas. This means that we’re unable to direct RNG to a specific location. However, the more RNG that is added to the gas system, the less conventional natural gas is needed, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuels and overall GHG emissions. Find out how RNG is delivered.
No. Fossil fuels like conventional natural gas, oil and coal, come from the earth’s crust and add GHG emissions into the atmosphere through their extraction and use. RNG, however, uses GHG emissions from waste to create low-carbon energy that’s used instead of conventional natural gas. So, the more RNG we can make and deliver in place of conventional natural gas, the more homes and businesses can reduce their overall GHG emissions.
We partner with farms, landfills and municipalities in British Columbia and elsewhere to create RNG from diverse sources. Check out our current and upcoming RNG suppliers.
No. One of the great things about RNG is that it works the same way as conventional natural gas, so you can use your existing gas equipment and appliances.
You can choose to designate up to 100 per cent of your gas use as RNG through the voluntary RNG program. Compare the cost of RNG blend rates to learn more.
We’re committed to increasing our RNG supply and our vision is that around 75 per cent of the gas in our system will be renewable or low carbon3 by 2050. In fact, once all projects are active and producing RNG, we could have enough RNG to supply more than 256,000 average B.C. homes per year.
Today, our customers can designate up to 100 per cent of their gas use as RNG through the voluntary RNG program.
A recent report commissioned by the province, FortisBC and the BC Bioenergy Network reveals that by 2050, BC’s maximum potential of renewable and low-carbon gases could be as high as 440 petajoules (PJ) per year—around twice the province’s current gas use.
Decarbonizing our gas system is the right thing to do for our customers. It also supports the Province of BC’s climate action plans such as the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030, as well as the Paris Climate Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Want to learn more?
Check out a few of our blog posts about RNG:
Renewable Natural Gas for business customers
Learn how designating additional RNG can help support your business’s sustainability goals, the blend options available and how you can subscribe to the voluntary RNG program today.
1 Renewable Natural Gas (also called RNG or biomethane) is produced in a different manner than conventional natural gas. It is derived from biogas, which is produced from decomposing organic waste from landfills, agricultural waste and wastewater
from treatment facilities. The biogas is captured and cleaned to create RNG. When RNG is added to North America’s natural gas system, it mixes with conventional natural gas. This means we’re unable to direct RNG to a specific customer.
But the more RNG is added to the gas system, the less conventional natural gas is needed, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuels and overall greenhouse gas emissions.
2 When compared to the lifecycle carbon intensity of conventional natural gas. The burner tip emission factor of FortisBC’s current Renewable Natural Gas (also called RNG or biomethane) portfolio is 0.27 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of energy (gCO2e/MJ). FortisBC’s current RNG portfolio lifecycle emissions for stationary combustion are -22 gCO2e/MJ. This is below B.C.’s low carbon threshold for lifecycle carbon intensity of 36.4 gCO2e/MJ as set out in the 2021 B.C. Hydrogen Strategy.
3 FortisBC uses the term renewable and low-carbon gas to refer collectively to the low-carbon gases or fuels that the utility can acquire under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Clean Energy) Regulation, which are: Renewable Natural Gas (also called RNG or biomethane), hydrogen, synthesis gas (from wood waste) and lignin. FortisBC’s renewable and low-carbon gas portfolio currently includes only Renewable Natural Gas. Other gases and fuels may be added to the program over time. Depending on their source, all of these gases have differing levels of lifecycle carbon intensity. However, all of these gases are low carbon when compared to the lifecycle carbon intensity of conventional natural gas. The current burner tip emission factor of RNG is 0.27 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of energy (gCO2e/MJ) and the current renewable and low-carbon gas portfolio lifecycle emissions for stationary combustion are -22 gCO2e/MJ. This is below B.C.’s carbon intensity threshold for low-carbon gases of 36.4 gCO2e/MJ set out in the 2021 B.C. Hydrogen Strategy.