Canadian Biomass • Winter 2021 • Editorial

The word ‘unprecedented’ has been used so many times to describe 2020, I’m starting to wonder what actually is considered ‘precedented.’ It is true that 2020 was a year unlike any other, thanks to COVID-19. But, as we start out the new year, I’m optimistic that we will start to see a return to ‘precedented’ times.

Even so, we will continue to feel the impact of the pandemic for years to come. That’s particularly true for our industry as governments and businesses focus on promoting a green economic recovery.

As William Strauss, president of FutureMetrics, explains in his annual pellet markets outlook on page 14, “The increasing negative impacts of climate change are likely to motivate policies that will support using industrial wood pellets for power generation.” Assuming such policies are implemented by governments around the world, FutureMetrics forecasts that pellet demand will essentially double from 2020 to 2027.

That’s good news for our industry, especially as more players get involved. One such player is Skeena Sawmills, which built their own pellet plant, Skeena Bioenergy, in 2019 to better utilize waste fibre from their sawmill. Despite encountering some initial challenges with rail transportation and dryer safety, the company is now looking towards the future, with an eye on developing the domestic market.

“I think that there’s a real opportunity in Canada to use wood pellets as a renewable resource for our own domestic use,” Roger Keery, CEO of Skeena Bioenergy, says on page 10. “Canadians aren’t doing that at any scale, and I really think that’s a missed opportunity.”

Developing the domestic market for wood pellets and other bioproducts, such as biofuel, is critical for fostering Canada’s green economy. Fortunately, since I joined Canadian Biomass in 2018, government support and public awareness of these renewable energy sources has increased dramatically. It always makes me happy to share news about government investments in new biomass heating projects, for example, or the work being done by new start-ups in the industry.

One start-up that has me especially excited is Prairie Clean Energy. The company has come up with a plan to turn flax straw (which is normally burned) into biofuel.

“We realized the demand for sustainable, renewable, stable fuel sources from biomass around the world is pretty significant, and our supply of the same around here [in Saskatchewan] was abundant,” Mark Cooper, president and CEO of the company, explains on page 16. “We thought that maybe the time had come to capitalize on all of the agricultural waste.”

Agricultural biomass is a part of the bioeconomy that is currently underdeveloped, but presents a big opportunity for Canada, especially in the Prairie. Consequently, Cooper and his colleagues have founded the Prairie Biomass Association to increase research into this field and raise awareness. It’s a terrific idea and one that I believe will help bring much-needed attention to ag-biomass.