Project Profile Viridis Energy almost ready to open Enligna’s former Nova Scotia pellet plant. By Andrew Macklin Ready to Run Nearly two years after the machines went si-lent and pellet production came to a halt, the Enligna pellet plant in Middle Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia, is nearly ready to begin production once again. Originally the home of the MacTara lumber mill, the pellet facil-ity was added to the property as a way to make use of the bark and sawdust that remained from the operations at the two sawmills. But MacTara soon became a victim of the downturn in lumber demand in the mid-2000s, eventually filing for bankruptcy in 2007. When Enligna (of Germany) purchased the MacTara site a short time later, the company focused on the production of pellets, choos-ing to leave the sawmill silent. That meant finding a new fibre supply, something they were able to do from a variety of sources, including logging contractors, private landowners, and the still-surviving saw-mills in the area. There was also a nominal amount obtained through a small Crown licence acquired in late 2008. Unfortunately, Enligna was unable to find the market share neces-sary to keep production going at the plant. In August 2011, just three years after Enligna had purchased the site, the doors closed on the pellet facility once again. That closure sent the plant into receivership, with $2.7 million in government loans outstanding. Enter Viridis Energy, owner of one pellet production facility in Canada, the Okanagan Pellet Company plant in Kelowna, B.C., which produces 60,000 tons of pellets per year. At the time of the En-ligna closure, the company was focusing on plans for a second facility in B.C. Instead, Viridis began looking at the possibility of acquiring ABOVE: The drying system at the former Enligna site remains completely intact, with all machinery ready to run once Viridis restarts the operation. MAY/JUNE 2013 16 Canadian BIOMASS
Canadian Biomass May/June 2013: Page 16
