Irving Oil to receive carbon-negative renewable natural gas from Alberta-based energy producer GrowTEC

Publication date

Saint John, NB – Irving Oil and Alberta-based renewable energy producer Grow the Energy Circle Ltd. (GrowTEC) have announced an agreement that will supply Irving Oil’s New Brunswick operations, including Canada’s largest refinery, with carbon-negative renewable natural gas, demonstrating an exciting opportunity to develop made-in-Canada low-carbon energy solutions. 

This 10-year agreement allows for the supply of up to 60,000 gigajoules of renewable natural gas (RNG) annually to Irving Oil’s operations in New Brunswick, through established pipeline infrastructure. The RNG is produced from organic waste, including food waste and manure, at GrowTEC’s facility, located on a family-owned potato farm near Lethbridge, Alta. 

Irving Oil continues to develop new sources of RNG, growing its portfolio of low-carbon energy sources. Together with future opportunities, these developments mark another important step in the company’s decarbonization journey. 

"We believe renewable natural gas provides a powerful opportunity for the efficient decarbonization of our operations," says Ian Whitcomb, President of Irving Oil. "This agreement demonstrates our continued commitment to secure strategic RNG partnerships as we work toward our 2030 goal of a 30 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and shift to lower carbon energy solutions."

The product received from the GrowTEC facility is carbon-negative – meaning the RNG produced from organic waste would capture more greenhouses gases than it emits. 

GrowTEC, located on the Perry Family Farm near Lethbridge, is an operating farm-scale RNG facility which has been converting organic waste into biogas and generating renewable power for over nine years. It is partially owned by EverGen Infrastructure Corp. as well as the Perry family. 

"We’re excited about this agreement, marking another key milestone for EverGen and underpinning the completion of the first phase of our GrowTEC RNG expansion,” said Mischa Zajtmann, CEO of EverGen. “Opportunities like these allow us to continue to grow – helping communities contribute to a sustainable and carbon-free future.” 

Irving Oil remains committed to being leading and engaged partners in reducing emissions – introducing new solutions while maintaining a strong, reliable and safe core business that delivers value to its customers and communities. 

For more information, please explore Irving Oil’s 2022 Report on Sustainability here.

About EverGen
EverGen, Canada’s Renewable Natural Gas Infrastructure Platform, is combating climate change and helping communities contribute to a sustainable future. Headquartered on the West Coast of Canada, EverGen is an established independent renewable energy producer which acquires, develops, builds, owns, and operates a portfolio of Renewable Natural Gas, waste to energy, and related infrastructure projects. EverGen is focused on Canada, with continued growth expected across other regions in North America and beyond.
For more information about EverGen Infrastructure Corp. and our projects, please visit https://www.evergeninfra.com/.

About Irving Oil
Irving Oil is a family-owned and privately held international energy company. For nearly 100 years, our commitment to doing good business has been grounded in our commitment to people – to our employees, customers, communities and partners. Founded in 1924, our mission is focused on our continued evolution to meet the changing needs of our customers. Specializing in the refining and marketing of finished energy products, we operate Canada’s largest refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick, and Ireland’s only refinery located in the village of Whitegate. We proudly serve customers with more than 1,000 fuelling locations and a network of distribution terminals spanning Eastern Canada, New England and in Ireland, operating under the Top brand. We are on a continuous journey of sustainable development, working to reduce our environmental footprint while continuing to provide safe and reliable energy to our customers. Named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for seven consecutive years, we are proud of our team and our longstanding commitment to our customers and our communities. Learn more at www.irvingoil.com.    

Media contacts:

Katherine d’Entremont
Irving Oil
[email protected]
506.654.7162

Mischa Zajtmann
EverGen Infrastructure Corp.
[email protected]
604.202.7004