Summerside's new wood chip furnace will heat hospital, manor

A new wood chip furnace in Summerside will provide heat for Prince County Hospital and Somerset Manor,displacingnearly 500,000litresof fuel oil every year, according Energy MinisterPaulaBiggar.

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Biggar saida contract has been awarded to a private developer to build and finance the project,the 20th biomass heating plant on the Islandsince the provincial government began converting public buildings back in 2012.

"It also reduces our emissions here on Prince Edward Island, but this is going to displace over threemillion litres of oil use in total with all of our biomass plants, and about ninethousand tonnes as part of our greenhouse gas reductions," said Biggar.

Thegovernment says the new wood chip furnace in Summerside will be in operation later this year and another biomass furnace is scheduled to begin operation at Morell High School.