Tour of Markham District Energy’s Bur Oak Energy Centre

Markham District Energy (MDE) is a district energy utility owned by the City of Markham, a community of over 310,000 residents. Markham is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada and is considered the country’s high tech capital. The City’s growth strategy is to prioritize the development of centres with greater density which supports sustainable transportation strategies and of course, district energy.

One of these urban growth areas is Cornell Centre, located on the eastern border of the municipality. Covering 250 acres, Cornell Centre is intended to be a higher-density, mixed-use subdivision with a retail core. Over the next two decades, the area will develop to include approximately 10 million sq.ft. of residential, commercial and institutional buildings and will be home to more than 10,000 residents, 10,000 jobs and MDE’s second district energy system.
On this tour, you will learn how MDE’s district energy system has been established in Cornell Centre.

You will see how this first phase includes the Markham Stouffville Hospital as MDE’s anchor load, along with a new community centre, two medical office buildings and a fire station. Over 1 million sq. ft. of building area is now serviced from MDE’s Bur Oak energy centre. This plant includes a 4 MW cogeneration plant, 5 MW of standby generation, 4000 tons of cooling, 15 MW of heating and 5 MW of steam capacity. The plant tour will demonstrate the reliability, efficiency and emissions reductions possible through a district energy system integrated into a well-planned community.

The tour is open to PEO members, their family and friends.

Protective personal equipment is not required. Each person must register and provide complete name separately.