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Sustainable development, a priority for YQB

21 apr

Earth day at YQB

Once work on the YQB 2018 project has been completed, Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) will provide a model of sustainable development for the airport industry. This is because as part of its plan to extend the international terminal, Aéroport de Québec Inc. (AQi) set itself some ambitious energy-saving targets.

Before work began, AQi engaged a firm specializing in energy efficiency studies to assess ways to make the new infrastructures as energy-efficient as possible. With this report in hand, AQi set itself the objective of implementing all the measures it proposed, such as the key measures outlined below.

Geothermal energy

Geothermal energy will be used as the main energy source for the terminal buildings. This clean, renewable energy will be extracted from the ground and used to heat and cool the new terminal. Some existing buildings at YQB are already heated and cooled using geothermal energy, such as the integrated service centre, built in 2013, which has a geothermal field containing 30 wells 170 metres deep. The new terminal will have its own heating and cooling plant with a 60-well geothermal field, a 190-ton helical rotary liquid chiller, and an underground concrete valve vault for the manifolds. The use of geothermal energy will allow AQi to save a substantial amount of money, and also to avoid using over 200,000 cubic metres of natural gas each year. This is an eco-responsible, reliable and sustainable solution.

Automated lighting

The lighting system for the new international terminal will be equipped with light intensity sensors, ensuring that the lighting adapts to the level of natural light available. In addition, the LED lights will be more efficient and more suitable for 24-hour-a-day operation, which will be needed in the terminal. Taken together, these two steps will decrease the demand for power.

Heat recovery

By recovering heat from exhaust air as it leaves the building and using it to heat incoming air, AQi will retain both heat and humidity, leading to savings for both heating and humidification.

Controlled fresh air intake

CO2 detectors will be installed at strategic points in the terminal, and the intake of fresh air will adjusted in variable-occupation areas, such as the arrival and departure halls. A signal from the detectors will change the speed of the fan motors in the fresh air handling equipment, optimizing the air exchange process.

Sustainable development is a priority for Aéroport de Québec Inc. As part of its sustainable development policy, it has committed to a process of ongoing improvement in its environmental performance, by applying the principles of sustainable development in its planning process and everyday activities.