Canadian Biomass • March April 2018 • Industry News

An all-star line-up of thought-leaders and insiders from the bioeconomy in North America and Europe will be on hand June 6-8 as industry professionals, elected officials, First Nations and corporate leaders meet in Prince George, B.C., for the largest conference of its kind in Canada.

George Heyman, B.C.’s new minister of environment and climate change strategy, will provide a keynote address at the Canadian Bioeconomy Conference and Exhibition, outlining the B.C. NDP government’s climate commitment and the opportunities he sees in the new bioeconomy.

“The B.C. government is seeking new and innovative ways to build a sustainable economy while at the same time developing a comprehensive climate change strategy,” said Sandy Ferguson, conference chair and vice-president of corporate development for Conifex Timber. “Biomass is a key feedstock for renewable energy, fuels and chemicals. So it’s an opportune time to have Minister Heyman bring his vision for the role of value-added biomass in the growing clean economy.”

In addition to Heyman, a number of industry leaders and elected officials will take the stage at Bioeconomy 2018:

• Gordon Murray – Executive Director, Wood Pellet Association of Canada (Canada)

• Derek Nighbor – CEO, Forest Products Association of Canada (Canada) And more to come.

“The Canadian Bioeconomy Conference and Exhibition will build on the success of its predecessor, the International Bioenergy Conference,” said Ferguson. “We’ll continue to bring expertise from around the globe to share knowledge and best practices with Canadian industry members, and to demonstrate Prince George’s and Northern B.C.’s leadership role in the Canadian bioeconomy.”

The 8th Canadian Bioeconomy Conference and Exhibition will take place in Prince George June 6-8, 2018. Register at www.bioeconomyconference.com

A consortium of companies comprising Air Liquide, AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals, Enerkem and the Port of Rotterdam has signed a project development agreement covering initial investments in an advanced waste-to-chemistry facility in Rotterdam. The facility will be the first of its kind in Europe to provide a sustainable alternative solution for non-recyclable wastes, converting waste plastics and other mixed wastes into new raw materials.

The facility will convert up to 360,000 tons of waste into 220,000 tons (270 million litres) of ‘green’ methanol. As an equivalent, this represents the total annual waste of more than 700,000 households and represents a CO2 emission savings of about 300,000 tonnes.

The facility will use Enerkem’s proprietary technology, and will convert non-recyclable mixed waste, including plastics, into syngas and then into clean methanol for use in the chemical industry and for the transportation sector.

Today, methanol is generally produced from natural gas or coal. The plant will have two production lines, or twice the input capacity of Enerkem’s commercial- scale plant in Edmonton. It will benefit from the state-of-the-art infrastructure available within the Port of Rotterdam, as well as synergies with Air Liquide (large industries) for supplying the required oxygen and together with AkzoNobel, the raw material hydrogen. AkzoNobel also acts as a customer for the methanol.

Saint-Michel-des-Saints will soon be home to Quebec’s largest pellet mill. After more than four years of development, La GranaudiÃ¨re will break ground in July with production expected to begin next year, Canadian Biomass has learned.

The mill will have an annual capacity of 200,000 metric tonnes and all production will be exported to Europe via the Saint Lawrence River. La GranaudiÃ¨re has secured a long term off-take agreement for its production with multinational utility ENGIE.

The plant’s shareholders include Atikamekw First Nation (Atikamekw from Manawan) and ENGIE. Investissement QuÃ©bec is backing the project with long-term loans, and the Ministry of Forests has guaranteed access to public forest resources in Quebec.

The federal government is looking to fund projects that will reduce reliance on diesel fuel in rural and remote communities, most of which are Indigenous.

Minister of Natural Resources Jim Carr launched a call for proposals today in Winnipeg for the Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities Program. The program will provide approximately $220 million in funding.

“We are pleased to work together with the provinces and territories on these initiatives to promote cleaner, more reliable energy supply in rural and remote communities, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Canada’s North and create new opportunities for social and economic development in these communities. Our government’s green infrastructure funding will also help to ensure that Canada is a global leader in the transition to a greener economy,” Carr said in a news release.

The announcement is part of the government’s plan to provide $21.9 billion over 11 years to support green infrastructure, drive clean growth and combat climate change, according to the release.

“Reducing reliance on diesel in First Nation communities is a shared priority among Indigenous peoples, the Government of Canada and provincial and territorial governments. I am pleased this new funding will be accessible to remote First Nation communities to support them in finding more sustainable renewable energy solutions,” Minister of Indigenous Services Jane Philpott said in the release.

The City of Yellowknife is the 2018 winner in the energy category of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Sustainable Communities Award.

Yellowknife’s Biomass District Energy System is fuelled by wood pellets and is expected to cut GHG emissions by 829 tonnes a year in addition to saving the city between $140,000 and $160,000 annually.

The district energy system is shared by five municipal buildings in the community that were previously fuelled by approximately 367,000 litres of heating oil a year — heating oil was what the city previously relied on.

“Yellowknife’s district energy system is an inspiration to other northern communities looking for viable alternative energy sources,” the FCM stated. “In fact, neighbouring building owners have already approached the city to discuss the benefits and challenges of implementing similar systems.”

More than 70 per cent of Yellowknife’s energy consumption is used for heating homes and buildings, which is known to be costly in Northern Canada.

“The project will support a local wood pellet plant that is currently being developed, which will bring economic benefits to the region once it is up and running,” the FCM stated.

Quebec pellet producer Industries P.W.I. is one of six businesses in the MontÃ©rÃ©gie region awarded funding by the Government of Canada through Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED).

Industries P.W.I. (PWI) is receiving a repayable contribution of $400,000 towards building a new warehouse and a new production facility and associated equipment. The $3.5-million project will increase the company’s production capacity and maximize its market opportunities.

The funding is doled out through CED’s Quebec Economic Development Program, and will go towards the purchase and installation of production equipment, including laboratory equipment, automated packaging tools and two separate production lines.

Based in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., PWI processes wood fibres to make high-quality biomass products, including sawdust and woodflour of various grades, wood chips, green firelogs, wood pellets and Logik-Ãª fire starters.