Pine beetle wood to generate heat in Prince George

A scheme to burn large amounts of the dead, unmarketable pine beetle wood to generate heat and electricity for several buildings while drastically reducing greenhouse gasses is in the works for the city of Prince George.

On Monday, the federal, provincial and municipal governments announced plans for the community biomass energy system in the B.C. Interior city.

It is expected work on the biomass burner will begin in the spring, with the construction of a series of pipes that will carry hot water underground from the fire plant to several civic buildings downtown.

Mayor Colin Kinsley said on Monday he has dreamed of building the system for the past seven years after seeing several similar systems already operating around the world.

The city will be a perfect spot for such a system, he said, with the abundance of fuel around Prince George that would be otherwise be wasted on the forest floor.

A pine beetle epidemic has wiped out millions of hectares of B.C. forest in recent years, leaving it dead and worthless to the logging industry.

Kinsley said, as opposed to heating with natural gas, which is processed elsewhere, the $5-million project will also create and sustain local jobs.

Although the plant will burn biomass, it will produce the same amount of annual particulate as the city's lawnmower fleet, while reducing emissions from natural gas by about 2,300 tonnes each year.