Event Report A national wish list CanBio conference discusses pushing Canada’s bioeconomy forward. By Scott Jamieson Scott Thurlow, the president of the Canadian Re-newable Fuels Association, came armed with a shopping list of requirements to push the bio-fuel sector forward. Topping the list was a national bioeconomy strategy. “The United States has one, although not without its challenges,” Thurlow told the 110-plus delegates at the CanBio conference. “Europe has had one for years. Canada does not, and it’s a priority for our mem-bers moving forward.” Thurlow would also like to see the monetization of carbon in Canada, so that industries helping to dramatically reduce the economy’s carbon footprint, such as the bioenergy sector, get the credit they deserve, and that such efforts receive in other jurisdictions. He also noted that as the automotive industry strives to make the significant fuel consumption re-ductions required of it by legislation in the U.S. and elsewhere, it will require gasoline with increasingly higher octane levels. “The best way to achieve those higher levels is through ethanol blending. We’ll need to develop the fuelling infrastructure to allow for that higher ethanol level.” Yet perhaps the most important step to increasing renewable fuel manufacturing in Canada, especially second-generation biofuels like cel-lulosic ethanol, is additional strategic investments to manage the massive capital required for commercialization. “I don’t like to talk subsidies when you see the return on investment that the biofuel industry has already shown in Canada; I prefer to talk strategic investments. And when you look at the strategic investments Canada has already made in the oil and gas sector, it makes those in the biofuels sector look like rounding errors.” Thurlow added that some challenges are outside our control in Can-ada. A major impediment to developing cellulosic ethanol in Canada is the flow of corn ethanol from the U.S. He noted that 40 per cent of the ethanol consumed in Canada is currently from the U.S. “It’s cheap, and Exclusive additional discount for Canadian Biomass readers. Get a further 10% off the conference fee. Quote the discount code “CB10” when booking. Registration will be Argus European Biomass Trading 2014 9-10 April | London announced shortly Network and do business with the companies shaping the future of the biomass market. Bioenergy illuminating the markets argusmedia.com/euro-biomass Market reporting Consulting Events 30 Canadian BIOMASS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013
Canadian Biomass November/December 2013: Page 30
