[Trisha]

Major risk during construction – TSSA Compliance

In Azura’s experience, one of the most significant and underestimated risks in biogas project construction occurs after mechanical completion: obtaining Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA’s) certification. Without this approval, biogas facilities cannot legally operate. We’ve witnessed several large digester projects across Canada face months, and in some cases over a year, of delays due to unresolved TSSA compliance issues.

This risk is especially pronounced when partnering with overseas technology providers who may be unfamiliar with Canada’s national biogas code and highly specific certification requirements. Developers are often caught off guard by the time and effort required to resolve compliance issues identified during inspection. If your project still in the development phase, it’s essential to ask your technology provider about their experience with TSSA and whether they have local resources to support compliance.

Proceeding without a local EPC or technology provider experienced with the Canadian Biogas Code introduces significant risk to your project’s schedule and cost.

Major risk during Startup and Commissioning – Acceptance Testing

There are two major risks during construction that we at Azura have witnessed:

1. Startup and Commissioning going much more slowly than expected (weeks or months of delay) – see our article here: Digester Startup and Commissioning – AZURA
2. Technical issues during acceptance testing that can lead to legal disputes

To expand on the second point, Azura’s work as an expert on legal disputes often arise during the “handover” stage. The EPC and technology vendors guarantee that their equipment work, but the owner is left with a digester system that doesn’t produce as much gas as they expected.

Top performance risks

As for performance risks, the top biological issues that occur during operations are:

1. Foaming leading to low or no biogas – see our article here: Why Is There Foam in My Digester? – AZURA
2. Grit accumulation leading to costly maintenance and clean-up
3. Ammonia inhibition or toxicity – see our YouTube video on how to manage this in operations: How to Manage Ammonia in your Biodigester

In Azura’s experience, almost every digester has had one or more of these issues during its operational lifetime.

Looking for ways to manage these risks? Email me at trisha.aldovino@AzuraAssociates.com and we can discuss how to mitigate these risks for your project.

[Nikolas]

To add one performance risk, insufficient feedstock, unexpected contaminants in the biogas and biogas flow lower than the designed can cause problems throughout the process and lead to facility shutdowns, unexpected failures and even equipment replacement. Doing proper calculations, knowing the gas quality and ensuring the project has the feedstock it needs (don’t count it unless you secure it) will help a project run smoother for years to come

[Natalia Bourenane]

@Mohand Let me know if you have any comments especially on the construction side of the projects