YKK Canada

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Excellence Industrielle Saint-Laurent, which encourages innovation and promotes sustainable solutions, announced recently a collective energy loop project in the borough’s industrial sector, a North American first.

An energy loop is a system where energy is captured, used, and recycled back into the system for reuse, between one or several buildings.

The overall goal of the project, announced at YKK Canada Inc. on Thimens Blvd., is to optimize energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, more specifically, to “capture industrial thermal waste and redistribute it via an underground network of tempered liquid.

“This approach reduces dependence on fossil fuels, stabilizes companies’ energy costs and improves their environmental performance.”

Excellence Industrielle Saint-Laurent’s announcement says the project goes beyond technical innovation, “it is a lever of competitiveness for local businesses and a new way of thinking about energy.” The initiative came about after the organization grouped together an advisory committee of 15 experts from the industrial, energy and territorial sectors.

As well, “the energy mapping of the industrial park made it possible to identify 23 potential synergies and three poles for the implementation of a pilot project: the Thimens sector, the Technoparc and the Lebeau sector.”

Pierre Audet, president of Excellence industrielle Saint-Laurent, said that “today, 40 percent of the energy consumed in industry is lost. While some pay for heating, others reject unused heat. By pooling this resource, we are creating a local, sustainable and resilient solution that benefits the entire territory.”

A feasibility study was also launched to validate the business model and the results are expected early this fall.

St. Laurent Mayor Alan DeSousa pointed out that two-thirds of energy in Quebec is used by industries, “and the current energy supply can no longer meet demand.

“Given that St. Laurent has one of the largest industrial parks in Quebec and that 70 percent of this territory is dedicated to economic activities, it has the best assets to launch this bold energy loop, a first in an industrial environment in North America.

DeSousa added that adapting to climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are two goals of the borough’s 2021 climate emergency plan.

“I am proud to see that, under the leadership of Excellence Industrielle Saint-Laurent, the St. Laurent business community is mobilizing and transforming current challenges into a collective opportunity that corresponds to our strategic objective of building a responsible economy.” n