Abstract
Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) directly reduces GHG emissions by displacing fossil natural gas. RNG can be sourced today from biologically digested food wastes, soon from thermally converted wood waste (from the forestry sector), and one day from Power-to-Gas methanation using green hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide. Since 2017, RNG has firmly established itself in Quebec, and is growing in many other progressive North American markets. For Quebec in 2023, 1086 residential customers consumed 838,000 m³ of RNG, 327 commercial and institutional customers used 12,900,000 m³, and 24 select large industrial pioneers took up the remaining 76 % at 43,000,000 m³. The mining and metallurgical sector, with its huge energy needs and ambitious decarbonization goals, has the potential to drive this growing trend into the future. As a drop-in fuel, RNG is very convenient renewable energy and can be consumed with no engineering, no equipment changes, no process modifications, no capital costs, no re-training and no new operational health and safety considerations. It is also available now with the Quebec supply base set to grow from over 120,000 km³/y in 2024 to 600,000 km³/y by 2030. RNG is also a great value proposition for mining and metals companies since its consumption can be directly applied to a specific product marketed as manufactured using renewable energy. Electrification is attractive, but capacity limitations are often an issue in heavily saturated industrial zones. And even when green power capacity is available, on a lifecycle basis, RNG is a competitive and easy green alternative, even for off-grid applications where transported renewable LNG is a viable and simple a solution.