Kathleen Fillier, environmental analyst, at Newfoundland Power.Supplied
When Kathleen Fillier looks at the towering calendula plants in her office, she is reminded of the fun she had with colleagues during a gardening competition and the deep commitment to environmental stewardship and innovation at Newfoundland Power Inc.
“We try out new technologies that exist rather than just going with the status quo. We use the new technologies to reduce our environmental impact,” says Fillier, an environmental analyst at Newfoundland Power, the primary distributor of electricity in Newfoundland and Labrador, serving over 276,000 customers.
For Jamie Mullins, who oversees the company’s environmental and sustainability initiatives as vice president customer operations, the Biodegradable Ester Pilot program is a perfect example of how the company’s more than 600 employees take an innovative approach to problem-solving.
Faced with an oil spill from a transformer, they started questioning how they could minimize environmental impacts of future spills. In the process, Newfoundland Power became the first North American utility to assess replacing mineral oil in transformers with a synthetic biodegradable alternative.
“The outcomes of this project will be valuable for Newfoundland Power and could help inform environmental practices for the utility industry,” says Mullins.
Potential environmental benefits from the highly biodegradable esters, chemical substances derived from acids, are now being explored through the pilot project that will run into next year. In the case of a spill, environmental impacts could be minimized as the compound is highly biodegradable. The ester also has a higher flashpoint than mineral oil so has the potential to reduce the risk of a transformer fire and increase fire safety.
In another pilot project, recently entered into with Electricity Canada’s Centre for Excellence, Newfoundland Power is looking at leveraging satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to automate land mapping and habitat identification to improve its environmental stewardship of land in the province, particularly when undertaking big projects such as rebuilding transmission lines.
“Employees get excited about coming up with new and innovative ways to solve age-old problems,” Mullins says. “We want to continue to be inspired by the amazing ideas our employees bring forth.”
In her job as environmental analyst, Fillier is involved in everything from environmental assessments and waste management to fostering a culture of caring about the environment, which includes organizing fun events like gardening competitions among employees. She also takes a leading role in EnviroFest, the company’s annual celebration of the environment. By providing funding and offering support to a wide variety of organizations throughout the province, Newfoundland Power assists with community green projects.
Last June, the company celebrated more than 25 years of EnviroFest by funding six beautification projects, including the Cormack Wildlife Garden. Fillier and a handful of employees helped the town of 500, located on the island’s west coast, plant a fruit orchard and build a short walking trail.
“It’s always really rewarding to see the community come out and get involved,” she says. “Being from Newfoundland, I am really connected to the environment here. My job allows me to have a direct impact on the environmental conservation of my province.”
For Mullins, early June is his favourite time of year at work. EnviroFest has him out of the office, rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty. “We incorporate ‘leave it better than you found it’ in just about everything that we do,” says Mullins. “We all have an important role to play in bringing our sustainability practices to life and protecting the environment. Our employees are passionate about it.”
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