2016-10-04 05:26:21
SCS ISSUES FIRST CERTIFICATES TO DRAX BIOMASS
SCS Global Services has issued its first first Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) certificates to Drax Biomass Inc., for its Morehouse BioEnergy and Amite BioEnergy wood pellet manufacturing facilities in the U.S.
Pete Madden, president and CEO of Drax Biomass Inc., said in a news release the certifications mark a major milestone in the company’s quest to become a leading supplier of sustainably-sourced, high quality wood pellets.
Both Drax facilities are each equipped to produce up to 450,000 metric tonnes of wood pellets per year from Southern Yellow Pine sourced primarily from nearby privately-owned working forests. Drax gathers and stores thinnings, low-value roundwood, and harvesting residues, which are then debarked and chipped.
The company screens the woodchips for size consistency, then dries and further processes the chips into compressed pellets of uniform moisture, ash content and calorific value. SCS’s assessment included a comprehensive evaluation of each stage of the sourcing and manufacturing process, as well as an audit of Drax Biomass’s Baton Rouge Transit storage and shipping facility.
SCS was accepted as an applicant Certification Body for the SBP in April last year, and successfully completed the SBP approval process in June. The approval included SBP independently observing the Drax Biomass facility audit conducted by SCS.
“SCS Global Services cleared a rigorous and robust approval process to become an SBP-approved Certification Body, offering worldwide certifications of biomass producer and biomass supply chain actors,” Carsten Huljus, SBP CEO, said in the release.
“We’re delighted to have earned SBP’s approval as a third-party certifier, and congratulate Drax Biomass for its important accomplishment,” Dr. Robert J. Hrubes, SCS executive vice-president, noted in the release. “SBP certification is playing an increasingly vital role to ensure that biomass production is conducted in a responsible manner. As this certification demonstrates, Drax Biomass takes its commitment to sustainable production principles seriously.”
BUSINESSES SHOULD REDUCE EMISSIONS: SURVEY
A large majority of Canadians think that it is important for businesses to take action to reduce their transportation-related emissions, according to the 2016 Sustainable Business Attitudes Survey.
The survey found that 82 per cent of Canadians felt that the use of environmentally-friendly transportation, such as electric or hybrid vehicles or using green fuels like biodiesel, would be important in their decision to recommend a business.
The survey also reports that 56 per cent said it was “very important” and 34 per cent said “somewhat important” that businesses using vehicles, such as company cars, delivery trucks or long-distance tractor trailers, make efforts to reduce emissions from those sources.
The Sustainable Business Attitudes Survey was commissioned by Bullfrog Power and performed by Environics Research from Aug. 8 to 21, 2016, reaching 2,000 adult Canadians.
B.C. TO ADDRESS FOREST SECTOR COMPETITIVENESS
The provincial government has released its agenda to enhance the competitiveness of B.C.’s forest sector so that it continues to make investments and provide family-supporting jobs in communities throughout the province.
The agenda called “Strong Past, Bright Future” contains 49 strategic actions to address three key inter-related goals: healthy, resilient forests; diverse, globally competitive industry; and stable communities and First Nations.
The agenda is supported by other recent government programs, including the three-year $75-million Rural Dividend and $85 million for the newly created Forest Enhancement Society of B. C. Among other key action in the plan is advancing opportunities for forest carbon management and promoting greater use of lower-value wood and wood residue in support of the province’s climate leadership goals.
Alberta pledges support for new renewable energy
The Alberta government announced a firm target of 30 per cent of electricity used in the province coming from renewable sources by 2030. Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks and Minister for the Climate Change Office, said to achieve the 30 by ‘30 goal, the government will support 5,000 megawatts of new renewable energy in the province. The ministry estimates that the commitment will amount to at least $10.5 billion in new investment by 2030, which will translate to at least 7,200 jobs from new projects. To meet the target, the province has created a Renewable Electricity Program. The program will be run by the Alberta Electric System Operator.
ONTARIO INVESTING IN PILOT BIOREFINERY
The Ontario government is investing $4.5 million to help FPInnovations establish a fully functioning bio-refinery plant in Thunder Bay.
The funding from the province’s Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation aims to encourage sustainable forest management, create jobs and grow the Northern economy, Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines recently stated.
The new bio-refinery plant is a pilot project that will produce bio-chemicals derived from wood, resulting in renewable, biodegradable and cost-effective alternatives to petroleum-based products for use in the construction, automotive, mining, oil and other sectors.
Resolute Forest Products is contributing $3.5 million to the project and will host the plant at its Thunder Bay pulp and paper facility.
“The three-year research program with FPInnovations will help demonstrate the feasibility of the process and optimize potential market applications for bio-chemicals derived from wood – critical to the commercial success of the project,” Richard Garneau, president and CEO of Resolute stated.
Pierre Lapointe, president and CEO of FPInnovations, said the plant will provide new pathways to large-scale production of bio-products from Canadian forests.
“The project builds on our existing partnership with Resolute Forest Products and Lakehead University, and is a glowing example of the power of collaboration to create projects that can lead to unique, innovative and environmentally- friendly products and technology. This government’s confidence in the future of the forest sector and the regions dependent on it will ensure that it remains globally competitive and a significant contributor to Northern Ontario’s economy,” Lapointe said.
The Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE), which is headquartered in Thunder Bay, is providing operational support to FPInnovations for the Bio-Economy Technology Centre at Resolute Forest Products.
“The TMP-Bio project is an exciting new frontier in value-added wood processing,” stated Scott Wiebe, CEO of Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-economy.
ONLINE DATABASE SHOWS WOOD BIOENERGY FACILITIES
A U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities’ website has been revitalized to provide an interactive database of wood bioenergy facilities throughout North America.
The website – www.wood2energy. org – uses GIS mapping technology to show the locations of bioenergy facilities, and lists details such as the type facility, the owner, operational status, and the production and intake capacity.
“Tools like wood2energy.org enhance our work by providing information that yields a better understanding of current conditions, reduces risk for investors and communities and allows stakeholders to have a common information base upon which to facilitate conversations,” Carlton Owen, president and CEO of the Endowment, said in a news release.
Data for the mapping tool is gathered from the public domain via existing databases, industry publications, reports, press releases and the like, and will be updated on an ongoing basis.
“This project is remarkable from a data collection and management standpoint,” said Brett Hogarth, head of business development at Ecostrat – the company that developed and managed the data delivery. “But to me what really makes it a success is the data curation. A lot of thought and effort was put into how to best organize and present the data to balance the need for detail with ease of use and accessibility. Perhaps the greatest power of this tool is its ability to be used by experts and non-experts alike.”
Anyone with information to fill gaps or fix errors is asked to contact Ecostrat with information. Learn more at www.ecostrat.com
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