The University of Toronto's central steam plant has been a cornerstone of campus operations since the 1950s, now heating almost 100 university buildings and local landmarks such as the Royal Ontario Museum.
From its early days using coal to later adopting cleaner-burning natural gas and cutting-edge heat recovery, U of T has taken steps to keep the plant at the forefront of modern technologies to power generations of learning, research and discovery.
Now, it's getting its biggest upgrade yet.
Over the past year, engineers have been working to decommission and remove one of four, four-storey-tall gas-fired boilers to make space for two new electrode steam boilers. The new boilers match the capacity of the old boiler but use electricity instead of natural gas.
"These new electric boilers will serve as the primary heat source for the St. George campus," said Rajesh Patel, chief engineer and manager of U of T's central steam plant. "The remaining gas boilers will provide the balance as needed to ensure stable and efficient heating, especially during winter."
This marks the latest phase of Project Leap , the university's ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at St. George by more than 50 per cent by the end of 2027.
Each new boiler, standing two-storeys tall, was lifted by crane into a specially cut hole in the steam plant's roof over the summer. The new units take up significantly less space than the old gas boiler, allowing the university to also add new heat pumps to further boost the steam plant's energy performance.
Together with the geoexchange system under Front Campus, these changes will help cut fossil fuel use on campus by 75 per cent.
"This is a major milestone in our journey to become climate positive by 2050," said Ron Saporta, chief operating officer, property services and sustainability. "It's more than just replacing equipment, it's rethinking how we power U of T for the future."
Alongside these upgrades, Project Leap includes expanding heat capture and storage through the new geoexchange system under Front Campus, installing energy-efficient LED lighting in 38 buildings and optimizing energy used for air distribution systems in key research laboratories.
Together, these changes will help save nearly 50,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, equivalent to the energy use of more than 10,000 homes.
