Innovation Spring 2025

The City of Surrey’s Biofuel Facility, operated by Convertus, is one of the largest in North America, serving Metro Vancouver for RNG and compost material. P hoto : S ubmitted by C onvertus G roup

Convertus, based in London, Ont., partnered with the City of Surrey to design, build, operate, and service the Surrey Biofuel Facility, one of the largest such facilities in North America, serving Metro Vancouver. Surrey’s facility produces about 120,000 gigajoules of RNG per year, which is enough to fuel 8,500 cars annually. Convertus has also partnered with the Regional District of Nanaimo, the City of Port Moody, the City of Port Coquitlam and the Capital Regional District Greater Victoria and the southern Gulf Islands. By processing household as well as industrial, commercial, and institutional (IC&I) waste, Convertus helps communities divert material away from landfills. The company has assisted municipalities divert more than 4.8 million kilograms of waste since 2019. The process Convertus uses builds on circularity principles, which Convertus refers to as “closing the loop.” It involves three steps: food production; waste management; and the energy production cycle. First, farming, industrial processes, and households produce waste is collected. Then, that waste is diverted away from landfills towards the facility. Finally, Convertus processes that waste into RNG. FortisBC, in partnership with the City of Surrey, uses the RNG to power its natural gas energy grid. The remainder is turned

Innovation Spring 2025

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