New waterfront community in Mississauga will have ‘largest-in-Canada’ energy system, city says
Published October 22, 2024 at 12:23 pm
A new system that will provide heating and cooling for a huge waterfront community in Mississauga is being described by city officials as a “first of its kind in Ontario and the largest in Canada.”
District energy, a system for heating and cooling buildings in which hot and cold water are produced at a central facility and then transferred to individual buildings through a network of pipes, will be used as the 177-acre mixed-use Lakeview Village development is built over the next decade or so.
The use of a central facility eliminates the need for boilers and chillers in each building.
The new community is located in the city’s southeast corner where the Lakeview Generating Station and its four stacks once stood.
Construction began earlier this month and the development will eventually feature some 16,000 homes in addition to numerous businesses. First residential occupancy is expected in 2029.
City of Mississauga officials and other partners in the initiative gathered Monday at the Lakeview Village site for a groundbreaking.
Rendering of a completed district energy system central building at Lakeview Village. (Image: ZAS Architects + Interiors Inc., via City of Mississauga)
The city said “shovels are in the ground on a new, sustainable district energy system transforming the site of a former coal-burning power generating station into a new, green community at Lakeview Village.”
Once fully implemented, officials added, the Lakeview Village district energy system “is positioned to be the first of its kind in Ontario and the largest in Canada.”
District energy is a considerably more efficient system, officials noted.
“Unlike traditional heating and cooling systems, which are large contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, district energy systems use a network of pipes to heat and cool an entire community from a centralized location,” Mississauga officials said in a news release. “These systems allow for a combination of generation assets that work seamlessly together to improve efficiency, consume less energy and reduce emissions. They are also more reliable and resilient than traditional systems.”
Beginning stages of construction of the district energy system central building. (Photo: City of Mississauga)
A $1.4-billion deal struck three years ago between the Canadian government and Toronto-based Enwave Energy Corporation, a major sustainable energy company, laid the groundwork for including district energy as part of the Lakeview Village development.
The city has partnered with Lakeview Community Partners Limited, developer of the new community, Enwave Lakeview Corporation and the Region of Peel on the district energy project.
City officials said they’ve entered into agreements to allow Enwave “to build the necessary pipes and infrastructure on city land and construct a new building to operate the system.”
Mayor Carolyn Parrish said the project is “transformative” and will “shape the future of Mississauga for years to come.”
She added it “highlights our dedication to building mixed-use communities that are sustainable and include a variety of housing options, jobs, parks and community spaces.
“Lakeview Village’s focus on innovative, low-carbon solutions make it more than just a development project — it sets a new standard for sustainability.”
The city and developer are also moving forward on plans for a new building at the site that will house:
- the district energy operations centre, which will be operated by Enwave
- a sewage pumping station, which will be operated by the Region of Peel
- an educational space to provide learning opportunities for Mississauga residents, visitors and the business community
Image shows basics of how district energy systems operate.