TORONTO, Sept. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enwave Energy Corporation (Enwave) celebrated the groundbreaking of a new waste processing facility in Prince Edward Island today at PEI Energy Systems in Charlottetown. Anticipated to be fully operational in 2028, the new, state-of-the-art facility will replace the existing end-of-life system and provide energy to its customers through the interconnected district energy network. Enwave has worked closely with the Province of Prince Edward Island to identify and develop this sustainable alternative to landfill, while securing a reliable energy supply for the Island.
As critical infrastructure for both heating and waste management, it is anticipated that the facility will be capable of processing nearly 90% of the province's current total black cart residential waste, significantly diverting waste from landfill. The new facility is expected to divert up to 49,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste from landfills annually for production of heating and the associated anticipated diverted landfill methane emissions, avoided furnace fuel oil use, and alternative heat sources for the district heating customers are expected to amount to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) savings of up to 908,000 tonnes of CO2e by 2052, equivalent to taking approximately 278,000 gas powered cars off the road.
The new facility allows Enwave to almost double its existing waste processing capacity with improved efficiency, while also reducing the use of fuel oil for heating - all while continuing to provide reliable thermal energy to more than 145 connected buildings in Charlottetown, the Province's capital city.
Left-right: Hon. Steven Myers (Minister of Housing, Land and Communities for the Province of Prince Edward Island), Hon. Ernie Hudson (Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure for the Province of Prince Edward Island), Ehren Cory (CEO, Canada Infrastructure Bank), Carlyle Coutinho (CEO, Enwave Energy Corporation), Hon. Gilles Arsenault (Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action for the Province of Prince Edward Island), and Philip Brown (Charlottetown Mayor).
Enwave's new facility in Prince Edward Island directly supports the growing need globally for waste solutions, with global waste forecasted to increase 70% by 2050 according to World Bank Group. World Bank Group also reports that as global players look to invest in technologies to improve waste treatment efficiency and cost reduction, North America is positioned to share 20% of the energy-from-waste market globally.
"The expansion of our facility in Prince Edward Island is a testament to the partnership established between Enwave and the Provincial government," says Carlyle Coutinho, CEO of Enwave Energy Corporation. "The expansion of the facility in PEI demonstrates our unwavering commitment to providing long-term, sustainable solutions in collaboration with the Province, uniquely positioning Enwave to develop future growth opportunities to meet rising waste challenges across the country."
"As cities across the globe are managing the many challenges associated with trash, waste, and higher energy costs, Enwave has proven itself as a leader in improving both the environment and the economy," said Rob Thornton, President and CEO of the International District Energy Association. "Enwave's new district heating facility in Prince Edward Island is solving two problems that our planet is facing at once: creating less landfill waste and providing affordable heat for communities."
Enwave's expansion of the waste processing facility in Prince Edward Island offers a localized approach to decarbonization. The facility leverages a unique combination of the energy-from-waste plant and an attached wood biomass plant to provide energy to connected customers, an approach that has not yet been taken by any other energy-from-waste facilities in North America, with most incorporating either turbines or small hot water heating systems.
"PEI needs a diverse, reliable and forward-looking energy supply, and this expansion is a good step in the right direction," says PEI Environment, Energy and Climate Action Minister Gilles Arsenault. "Waste to energy technology helps us minimize energy costs for key provincial buildings, while extending the life of our existing landfill."
Energy-from-waste processes convert non-recyclable waste into energy, decreasing landfill volume and offsetting traditional fossil fuel use for energy generation, making it a valuable resource recovery method for materials that cannot be reduced, reused, or recycled. Leveraging Enwave's experience in the sector, a similar approach of harnessing energy-from-waste can be scaled up or down as needed to create similar waste diversion opportunities across other regions in Canada and beyond. In Ontario, for example, this scalability could be leveraged to meet waste solution needs, as the province is projected to run out of landfill capacity within nine years, according to a 2023 report by the Association of Municipalities Ontario.
"There is a tremendous opportunity across Canada to expand our country's energy from waste capabilities - to free up space otherwise needed for landfills to create new housing and jobs and to generate reliable, cost-effective, low-carbon, locally-sourced heat and power. On behalf of Waste to Resource Ontario and all of our members I congratulate Enwave, the Province of PEI, the Canada Infrastructure Bank and all the project partners for breaking ground on this new energy from waste (EfW) district heating facility and for their leadership in recognizing the potential of EfW to power Canada's prosperity," says Ashley De Souza, CEO, Waste to Resource, Ontario.
"In 2021, the CIB partnered with Enwave through a $600 million loan towards clean energy projects. I'm proud to see another project go from blueprints and into construction," says Ehren Cory, CEO, Canada Infrastructure Bank. "The energy facility in Charlottetown will deliver reliable, renewable heat to more than 145 buildings. Our collaboration with Enwave enables communities to address local energy needs using established technology and supports planning for future sustainable development."
Enwave has developed a fully integrated process-load management system, actively controlling and balancing demand by adjusting consumption as needed to avoid overloads, increase efficiency and reduce costs. Enwave has worked closely with partners for more than 40 years to provide waste management solutions to the province. This new facility is being built in partnership with key strategic partners, including Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd., Marco Group, WSP, Ramboll Group A/S, Coles Associates Ltd., Stantec, Martin GmbH, ANDRITZ TEP, LAB SA and Kone Cranes Canada Inc.
About Enwave
Enwaveis one of the largest commercial owners and operators of community-based district energy systems in North America. It focuses on developing reliable, commercial and sustainable energy solutions at scale, tailored to the unique needs of municipalities, commercial developments, universities, hospitals, data centres and residential communities. Enwave provides thermal energy services to over 100 million square feet of mixed-use space across Canada using a variety of technologies including Deep Lake Water Cooling, thermal storage, geoexchange, biomass and energy-from-waste. Enwave was acquired by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan & IFM Investors in 2021.
https://www.enwave.com
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4ffaaa76-04e8-475a-89d3-bf30bf81555d
