We get questions

The Centre for Energy’s portal is loaded with factual and statistical information about Canada’s energy system. But we still get questions, like this one.

Q: I understand Canada has the largest peat reserves in the world. Is peat used in Canada for biomass-fuelled electricity generation?

A: Peat consists of partially decayed plant material, such as trees, shrubs and marsh grasses, that accumulates in wetlands where acidic and anaerobic conditions inhibit decomposition. Under the heat and pressure of burial, peat transforms into lignite coal. As the depth of burial increases, over time lignite metamorphoses into higher grades of coal.

At 1,100,000 square kilometres, Canada does have the largest peat reserves in the world, roughly 45 per cent of global supply. Peat bogs are found in every province and territory, with the majority being in Northwest Territories, Ontario and Manitoba. However, Canada does not use peat as biomass fuel for commercial generation of electricity.

There are a couple of reasons for this. Peat bogs provide various wetland functions. They filter water; they provide habitat for animals, and they act as a carbon sink in much the same way forests take up carbon. Dry harvesting of peat involves draining the peat bog, which can significantly hamper, or even destroy, the peat bog’s ability to perform these functions.

Until recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) considered peat to be a fossil fuel because it is a precursor to coal. However, because peat is formed from growing organic matter and, if properly managed is, according to the European Parliament “a long-term renewable energy source”, the IPCC now places it its own category – not quite biomass but not fossil fuel either.

The fact is, like biomass, peat is carbon neutral. This means that the carbon dioxide taken up by the plant while growing is released after the plant dies. Whether the plant is left to decay or if it is burned, the same amount of carbon dioxide is released.

Peat is used extensively in northern Europe as a fuel for heating and generating electricity, particularly in Finland and Ireland.

A newer harvesting method, wet harvesting, is much less destructive and is being tested in a pilot project in Newfoundland where peat pellets are being used as a power source in a paper mill.

Canada does harvest peat for horticultural use and is a large exporter to the United Sates.