In recent articles from CBC News Canada and The Energy Mix, it was announced that industrial waste heat from a local paper plant is being used to keep Ottawa-area buildings warm.

The CBC News article states that "so far, 615,000 square feet of residential and office space on either side of the river are being heated with waste heat from the nearby Kruger Products Plant in Gatineau, Que., and more buildings are under construction. "

According to The Energy Mix article, it states that "At the Kruger plant, natural gas is burned to heat water to make paper, then to dry it out. Following Demark's inspiration, engineers from Kruger and Zibi partnered to transfer heat from the part of the process where, after making the paper, water at 25° to 30°C cools in a steaming "settling tank" before being returned to the Ottawa River. Using heat exchangers, that energy is now transferred to the water in the Zibi district heating network.

The tank water is eventually discharged into the river, while the heat is used in Zibi Community Utility's central heating plant and directed to different parts of the system. In winter, heat from the warm water is extracted by water-source heat pumps in the Quebec-side Zibi buildings. In the summer, the water largely bypasses Kruger and exchanges heat directly with the Ottawa River to provide cooling."

According to a press release from Teralta, it announced that it recently launched a clean hydrogen system to help power Canfor's pulp mill in Prince George, BC.

The press release states that "Once the hydrogen infrastructure is in place and operational, the Prince George mill would benefit from a clean source of energy to help power the operation. The hydrogen supply would fulfill 25% of the gas energy requirements for the mill."

The article goes on to state that "The project is complex, but due to the strong partnerships we have forged, our progress has been consistent. Today, the building for the hydrogen processing is in place and the infrastructure to capture and upgrade the hydrogen is in the works, said Simon Pickup, CEO at Teralta. While clean hydrogen is recognized as an important component in achieving net zero goals, few comparable projects have come to fruition. It's especially satisfying-as a proud BC company-that Teralta's first successful initiative is in Prince George. The project will lay the groundwork for future initiatives here and throughout North America."

We'll keep you apprised of further developments.