Early in the morning of 6 July 2013 a freight train carrying 7.7 million litres of crude oil derailed, destroying downtown Lac Megantic, a small town in Quebec, Canada. The disaster claimed 47 lives and destroyed over 30 buildings and condemning a further 36. 

As part of the rebuilding efforts, the town saw an opportunity to build back better and decided to embrace the green economy. A large part of the plan involved the creation of a microgrid.

This is the second episode of our series in the run-up to the climate conference COP26, to be held in Glasgow from next week. In this episode we will learn about the ‘sad opportunity’ of Lac Megantic, the efforts to rebuild in keeping with the principles of sustainability, and the strategic position microgrids could hold in the electricity networks of the future.

Guests

Ioannis Andronikidis, Solar Photovoltaic and Battery Storage Lead, WSP in the UK

David-Olivier Goulet, Project Engineer for Integrating New Technologies, Hydro Quebec

Simon Pelchat, National Lead – Battery Energy Storage and Microgrids, WSP 

Mathieu Pepin, Project Manager – Downtown Reconstruction, Ville Lac Megantic

Stephane Vachon, Director of the Economic Development Bureau, Ville Lac Megantic

Resources

For a WSP case study on the Lac Megantic project, click here and for one by Hydro Quebec, click here

For analysis on the upsurge in microgrid development, click here

For information on the municipality of Lac Megantic (in French), click here

Partner

The partner for this episode is WSP. As one of the world’s leading engineering professional services consultancies, WSP brings clarity and vision to complex challenges. Our team of global technical specialists and strategic advisers ensure innovative solutions solve complex problems for our clients and the communities we serve, meeting both the needs of today and addressing the challenges of the future.

The post #133 COP26: The Legacy of the Lac Megantic Disaster first appeared on Engineering Matters.