A list of Canada’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases includes BC Hydro’s Burrard Thermal power plant in Port Moody – although cars and trucks are still the Lower Mainland’s biggest polluters.

Topping the Environment Canada chart is the Delta Cement Plant, run by Lehigh Northwest Cement and generating the equivalent of just over one million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Chevron’s Burnaby Refinery is the next largest source at 430,000 tonnes.

PoMo’s Burrard Generating Station is the third highest source, releasing nearly 70,000 tonnes per year.

Not on the list is Richmond’s Lafarge cement plant, which the GVRD has flagged as one of its two biggest sources along with the Delta cement plant. Duke Energy’s Fort Nelson natural gas plant generated 1.6 million tonnes in 2005, making it B.C.’s biggest emitter, according to the federal statistics. Second highest was Alcan’s Kitimat aluminum smelter at more than 1.4 million tonnes.

The rest of the list in B.C. is dominated by pulp and paper mills, coal producers and natural gas-related firms.

The big industrial producers in the Lower Mainland are dwarfed by the greenhouse gases from vehicle tailpipes.

TransLink estimates the total produced by passenger cars and light trucks here at 5.5 million tonnes.

Total emissions in the GVRD are estimated at close to 17 million tonnes per year.

jnagel@surreyleader.com