tembeC seCures fuNDINg for CogeN proJeCt Tembec has secured an additional $27.8-million loan to fund a portion of the Temiscaming, Que., specialty cellulose cogen project. Tembec has entered into an additional loan in the amount of $17.8 million with Investissement Québec and has entered into an amended and restated credit agreement with Integrated Private Debt Fund III LP, as Agent for the project’s senior lenders, increasing its credit facility by $10 million. This additional $27.8 million in loans increases the total project financing to $132.8 million, with IQ now committed to $92.8 million of the financing and IPD committed to $40 million. The completion of the boiler portion of the project is scheduled for April 2014 and the startup of the turbine should occur in September 2014. pfI reAChes mou wIth usDA, INDustrY groups The Pellet Fuels Institute (PFI) recently joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and three additional biomass groups in signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signifying a commitment by the federal government and industry to jointly grow and promote the wood-to-energy sector. The MOU recognizes the shared goals and interests amongst the signers in expanding the use of wood to energy: creating local jobs, increasing affordable heating and electricity options for rural Americans, improving forest health, reducing wildfire risks, and promoting efficient biomass technologies across residential, commercial and industrial segments of the wood energy arena. The Biomass Thermal Energy Council, the Biomass Power Association and the Alliance for Green Heat are also involved in the new agreement. CoNIfex restArts bIoeNergY proJeCt Conifex Timber Inc. recently announced it has received $100 million in project financing that will allow the company to restart its planned 36-megawatt bioenergy power project in Mackenzie, B.C. Conifex expects to receive formal commitment for the project financing shortly. Conifex estimates that the bioenergy project, using a 36-megawatt steam turbine, will be able to produce 230 gigawatt hours of energy each year and generate annual revenues of approximately $25 million annually. bIoAmber gets feD help to buIlD bIo-Chem plANt BioAmber Sarnia’s new bio-based succinic acid plant, the first commercial scale production plant of its kind, will receive a $12-million investment from the federal government to support its construction in Sarnia. The plant is expected to create 150 construction jobs and 60 permanent jobs once the plant is operational at the end of 2014. BioAmber Sarnia is a joint venture between BioAmber Inc. (70 per cent), and Mitsui & Co. (30 per cent), one of Japan’s largest trading houses. BioAmber has partnerships with several market leaders, including Cargill, DuPont Applied Biosciences, Mitsui & Co. And Mitsubishi Chemical. Succinic acid is a chemical used in the manufacturing process of many everyday products, such as plastics, cosmetics, automotive parts and construction materials. BioAmber has developed a proprietary process to produce bio-succinic acid sustainably from renewable feedstocks instead of petroleum. “We are grateful for the support given by FedDev Ontario to BioAmber Sarnia to build a commercial scale bio-based succinic acid plant and in helping develop a new bio-based chemical cluster in Sarnia,” said Jean-François Huc, president and CEO, BioAmber. “This initial 30,000-tonne capacity plant is an important step in changing the way the world makes products that historically have only been made through the traditional petrochemical route.” eNerkem, greeNfIelD to buIlD CellulosIC ethANol fACIlItY Enerkem and GreenField together will build and operate a cellulosic ethanol facility integrated with GreenField’s existing ethanol plant in Varennes, Que. The VANERCO project will receive financial support from the Canadian government through the Sustainable Development Technology Canada NextGen Biofuels Fund. Through the fund, $734,500 will support the initial development of the facility as a repayable contribution, an amount that could go up to $39.8 million. The non-recyclable waste to be used at the VANERCO facility will come from institutional, commercial and industrial sectors, and from construction and demolition debris. Construction of the facility, which will use Enerkem’s proprietary waste-to biofuels technology, is planned to begin in 2014. The plant is expected to produce 38 million litres of cellulosic ethanol annually at full production.