General Motors of Canada is proposing to build a renewable energy project at its St. Catharines Propulsion Plant in Ontario, a first of its kind endeavour for the auto maker which it estimates will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 77 per cent from the facility.

The project proposes to build a 6.4 megawatt co-generation plant that will use renewable landfill gas as fuel to generate electricity and recover thermal energy to power and heat the St. Catharines plant, which manufactures V6 and V8 engines and GF6 transmissions.

GM Canada says that in addition to significantly reducing net greenhouse gas emissions the proposed project will also lower energy electrical costs, improving the facility's long-term competitiveness.

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The automaker says once the project is online in mid-2019, clean energy will power approximately 32 per cent of the St. Catharines plant – the most of any of GM's global population operations worldwide.

It says the project is a partnership with Alectra Utilities, Integrated Gas Recovery Services and the TargetGHG program funded by the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science.