Biomass boilers and heaters excluded from MSAPR

Summary#

These final rules, the Regulations Amending the Multi-Sector Air Pollutants Regulations (Part 1 — Biomass), clarify which boilers and heaters that burn biomass are excluded from the Multi-Sector Air Pollutants Regulations (MSAPR). They say a unit that runs mostly on solid or liquid biomass (even if it sometimes uses some natural gas) is not covered by MSAPR. The amendments came into force on September 21, 2020.

What it does#

• Changes the definitions of biomass and biomass boiler, and adds a definition for biomass heater so these units can be clearly excluded from the MSAPR.
• Sets the exclusion test: a boiler or heater is treated as a biomass unit if it
  • can reach at least 50% of its rated capacity when in steady operation, and
  • gets at least 90% of the input energy in its combustion chamber from biomass.
• Requires new or recommissioned boilers/heaters to be tied to equipment that can supply enough biomass to meet the 50% / 90% test.
• Gives the government power to ask the owner/operator to prove a unit meets the biomass test. Acceptable proof includes:
  • manufacturer information, or
  • a field test lasting at least one hour, done by an independent qualified engineer (who has at least five years’ relevant experience or is provincially licensed).
• Adds a reporting step: if a unit that was previously reported as regulated by MSAPR becomes excluded under the new rules, the owner/operator must tell the government (with location and device ID) within six months of the change.
• Specifies how the percentage of energy from biomass should be calculated (using measured fuel flows and heating values).

Who's affected#

• Industrial facilities that burn mostly solid or liquid biomass and sometimes co-fire with natural gas — for example, many units at pulp and paper mills.
• Owners, operators and manufacturers of boilers and industrial heaters that use biomass or co-fire biomass and fossil fuel.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada (the department that enforces MSAPR), which may request proof or receive change reports.
• The rules are narrowly focused; they do not create new controls for biomass emissions — they only clarify which units are excluded. If it is unclear whether a specific unit meets the tests, the owner/operator would need to demonstrate it.

Why it matters#

• Without this change, some boilers that mostly burn biomass but need a little natural gas to run could have been accidentally forced to meet MSAPR limits designed for natural-gas boilers. That would have been technically unfair and often impossible for those biomass units.
• The amendments remove that uncertainty. They reduce the chance that biomass-fired units will face inappropriate emission rules meant for fossil-fuel boilers.
• In practical terms, affected facilities should check whether their equipment meets the 50% / 90% test, keep records or be ready to do a field test, and report if a unit’s status changes.