So, what is Renewable Natural Gas?

When organic waste decomposes, it releases a biogas rich in methane. But instead of being released into the atmosphere, raw biogases can be captured and purified to create low-carbon 1 Renewable Natural Gas2 (RNG), which can be used in households and industry instead of conventional natural gas to reduce the use of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions.

We’ve been expanding our supply of RNG for over a decade by creating connections with suppliers that range from dairy farms to wastewater treatment plants. We are committed to increasing our RNG supply and plan to have around 75 per cent of the gas in our system be renewable and low carbon by 2050.

Today, our gas customers can sign up to for RNG to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Signing up for RNG is easy and won’t require any changes to existing gas appliances.

Find out more: What is RNG anyway?

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1 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 0.29 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of energy (gCO2e/MJ). FortisBC’s current RNG portfolio lifecycle emissions 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.

2Renewable 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.