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Today was an important day for the future of clean energy in Toronto and across Canada, as Enwave Energy Corporation celebrated the ground breaking of a new Low-Carbon Heating Facility, slated to be constructed as an expansion of the company’s Pearl Street Energy Centre in the Downtown Core. As the creators and operators of Toronto’s expansive district energy grid system, the Low-Carbon Heating Facility will enable Enwave to expand their clean energy network, providing ‘green heat’ to more of Toronto’s Downtown, and leading the way towards the decarbonization of the buildings sector.
After introductory comments from Enwave Energy Corporation CEO, Carlyle Coutinho, Ontario Minister of Energy, Todd Smith, took the podium to speak about what this project means for the province. “Let me start by saying what a great pleasure it is to be here with the Enwave team and Canada Infrastructure Bank for today’s ground breaking,” said Smith. “This is a great made-in-Ontario story, taking place right here in Downtown Toronto.”
The Minister went on to explain how the Province is actively in the process of developing the infrastructure to create clean energy for a population expected to increase by over 2 million before the end of the decade. “From generation to transmission to distribution, we’re implementing our plan to build the infrastructure we need for the future, and we’re doing this from a strong starting point,” Smith said. “I’m proud of the progress that Ontario is making as a leader in clean energy, and I’m excited to see companies like Enwave develop solutions that are going to reduce demand on the grid system.”
Minister Smith’s statement was followed by words from Sashen Guneratna, Managing Director of Investments for Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), who provided Enwave with a loan of $600 million to partially finance the project. “The CIB is an impact investor,” Guneratna said. “We look for projects that help Canadians achieve outcomes that benefit all Canadians. In this case, it’s greenhouse gas emission reductions, and we are very excited to be investing in this project.” With Guneratna’s comments concluding the speeches, Coutinho and Smith joined him at the podium with shovels in hand to ceremonially mark the start of construction of the project.
The end result of the project will be the creation of a new three-storey facility built on the site of the existing Pearl Street Energy Centre. Located at the northeast corner of Simcoe and Pearl Streets in the heart of the Downtown Core, the project will see the redevelopment of land that is currently functioning as a surface parking lot, representing an effective intensification effort that improves Enwave’s infrastructure in a spatially efficient fashion.
The new facility will house a suite of systems that allow Enwave’s district power grid to generate and distribute ‘green heat’. The primary method to accomplish this will be through the recycling of waste heat created through the operation of other systems, which is then utilized to heat water that is circulated throughout the district. Once the system is operating at its peak, Enwave estimates that carbon emissions from heating will be reduced by the 11,600 tonnes, the equivalent reduction of converting 10 million ft² of office space to net-zero.
Speaking with Coutinho directly, he told us a little bit more about what this project means for Enwave and their goals for the delivery of clean energy. “With plants like this, it’s amazing for the city and the neighbourhood, but it also gives us the ability to scale up and implement this technology in other areas across Toronto and across Canada and into the U.S,” he explained.
Furthermore, Coutinho believes that investments like this help to bring developers on board to commit to more impactful sustainability efforts. “There’s a huge challenge with the Toronto Green Building Standard for developers to be able to meet that standard in a highly congested area in Downtown Toronto,” he said. “With our system, we’re able to provide a solution to a lot of our development partners to enable them to meet that standard, and make it easier for them to make the right decisions about building projects that are as environmentally friendly as possible.”
The project will also see an overhaul of the existing exterior of the Pearl Street Energy Centre, outfitting the 60-year-old building with a contemporary finish that visually expresses what the future of green energy looks like. Enwave expects the project to move quickly, and intends to have the new facility open and operational by the end of 2024.
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