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Connecting WM's RNG production complex in Sainte-Sophie to the existing gas network

WM, North America's largest waste management company, and Énergir are collaborating on the largest renewable natural gas (RNG) production project to date in Quebec.

Once purified, all the biogas extracted from WM's Sainte-Sophie landfill and biomethanization plant will be injected into Énergir's gas network through a dedicated 10 km pipeline connecting WM's facilities to the network in Mirabel.

This project benefits from $14,708,040 in financial assistance from the ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie, as part of the Programme de soutien à la production de gaz naturel renouvelable (PSPGNR), which comes from the Fonds d’électrification et de changements climatiques, a special fund entirely dedicated to addressing climate change, enabling the implementation of the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy.

 

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Important messages!

Construction of the renewable natural gas pipeline and infrastructure to connect WM's facilities will begin in September and continue until early winter. Keep up to date with construction progress by subscribing to our mailing list by clicking here.

The project at a glance

Ultimately, the projects will inject up to 68 million cubic meters of RNG into Énergir's network. The RNG from WM's Sainte-Sophie facility will thus make a significant contribution to achieving the government's and Énergir's target of distributing 5% RNG in the gas network by 2025.

The WM and Énergir projects could also significantly reduce Quebec’s fossil GHG emissions by nearly 129,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, by replacing traditional natural gas.

The projects involve the construction of a plant to process biogas from the technical landfill and the biomethanizer to refine it into RNG, a 10 km high-pressure pipeline and an injection station to connect WM's facilities to the existing gas network.

 

Ongoing construction

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To keep on schedule, workers will be on site Monday to Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Soils will be restored to their original state as work progresses, but depending on weather conditions, it is possible that part of the restoration will be postponed until spring 2025.

Although the vast majority of the worksite is located away from traffic lanes and residences, considerable efforts are being made to mitigate impacts on local residents.

Preliminary schedule

Tree removal / Site mobilization / Materials reception

September 2024

Excavation / Welding and pipeline installation

October and november 2024

Hydrostatic testing / Commissioning

December 2024

Site restoration

Spring 2025

Project route


Required infrastructure

RNG injection station

  • Will be used to inject RNG produced by WM into the existing gas network
  • Will be located on the WM site in Sainte-Sophie

Transmission line

  • Distance: Approximately 10 km
  • Pressure: High pressure (approximately 7,000 kPa)
  • Diameter: 6 inches
  • Materials: Steel
  • Installed in a dedicated easement


Preliminary schedule

Milestones

Date

Signing of the agreement between WM and Énergir

Early 2022

Submission of the project notice to the MELCCFP, triggering its environmental impact assessment and review procedure​

May 2022

Submission of the impact assessment statement

December 2022

BAPE public information period

September 18th to October 10th, 2023

BAPE public information session

October 3rd, 2023

BAPE public hearings

December 4th, 2023 to April 4th, 2024

Approval by the Régie de l’énergie

June 2024

Government project authorization

July 2024

Énergir’s permitting process

August 2024

Mobilization for the pipeline’s construction

September 2024

Commissioning of the pipeline

December 2024

Injection of RNG

2025

Authorizations

The construction of the connection was subject to rigorous and thorough examination by various regulatory bodies:

- Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Québec (Decision 440749)

- Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (Report 373)

- Régie de l'énergie (Dossier: D-2024-053)

- Government of Quebec ( Order-in-Council 1042-2024)

- Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (To come)

Environmental impact assessment and review procedure

In compliance with the process set out in the la Loi sur la qualité de l’environnement, Énergir submitted the project's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to the Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP) in December 2022.

The Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) was then mandated to hold a public hearing, following which the BAPE commission concluded in its report that the project should be authorized. (Read the BAPE report)

After analyzing the BAPE and MELCCFP reports, and following the Minister's recommendation, the Quebec government authorized the project by decree (Order-in-Council 1042-2024, July 3, 2024).

Community’s information and consultation process

From the beginning of the project, we wanted to make information on the project accessible in order to understand the concerns of the community regarding the project in order to consider them throughout the development.

Information activity and consultation 

Date

Meetings with potentially affected collaborators

Spring 2022

Online information session for affected landowners

May 2022

Public announcement of the project

June 2022

MELCCFP public consultation

July 2022

Meetings and discussions with affected landowners

Summer 2022

Multiple meetings: landowners, socio-economical groups, indigenous community

Fall 2022

Meeting and discussions regarding the environmental impacts assessment results

Winter 2023

Discussions regarding the project’s mitigation measures and compensations

Spring 2023

Information session (open doors) for citizens

June 2023

BAPE public information session

October 3 2023

BAPE’s public hearings

  • First part
  • Second part

December 5-6, 2023

January 16-17th, 2024

Informing local residents of work schedules

Summer 2024

Ongoing information to local communities about the work in progress

Summer/Fall 2024

Renewable natural gas

Learn more about renewable natural gas, a cornerstone of our commitment to decarbonizing the energy distributed in our gas network and reducing Quebec’s GHG emissions.

Learn more

Contact us for any questions or comments

Énergir is committed to keeping the public and anyone affected by the project informed. Send you questions and comments to us at any time, and we will get back to you quickly.