Bc tsilhqot’in Biomass pRoject Vancouver, BC – In mid-June, the city council of Williams Lake, British Columbia, endorsed the development of a 60-MW biomass power project. The project is be- ing spearheaded jointly by Run of River Power’s subsidiary Western Biomass Power Corp. and the Tsilhqot’in National Government. The project falls under phase II of BC Hydro’s Bioenergy Call for Power. The proposed plant, to be located in nearby Hanceville, would generate electricity from trees damaged by the mountain pine beetle, as well as local logging and mill waste. The joint venture proposal includes construction of the $250-million power plant, plus $40 million for a new 230 KV transmission line. pine Beetle stuDy aiDs BioeneRgy ReseaRch P rince George, BC – An ongoing multi-insti- tutional project to study the mountain pine beetle is yielding results that will contribute to more strategic investments in bioenergy. Researchers at the University of Northern Brit- ish Columbia, University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, Natural Resources Canada Canadian Forest Service, and the Genome Sci- ences Centre in Vancouver are studying the beetle, its relationship to the pine trees it attacks, and the fungal pathogens that help it overcome a tree’s natural defenses. The goal of the work is to better predict the location of potential supplies of bioenergy. Better predictive models will help to guide control measures and will be an important contribution to a more stable supply of bioenergy products. Drs. Brent Murray, Kathy Lewis, Brian Aukema, and Dezene Huber are some of the researchers studying the mountain pine beetle to better predict its spread and effects. “Massive amounts of dead timber from the mountain pine beetle epidemic are a potential energy feedstock, but this won’t necessarily provide a sustainable supply in the future,” says Canadian For- est Service researcher Dr. Brian Aukema. “Improving current methods of predicting feedstock will help us make more focused investments in the forest industry.” The current project, for which tens of thousands of beetle and larvae samples were collected, has a budget of nearly $4 million spread across the collaborating institutions. A new project building on the current work will start in Jan 2010. “Applied Genomics Research in Bioproducts or Crops” has a budget of $7.8 million and is funded by Genome Canada, Genome BC, and Genome Alberta. CanadianBIOMASS 9
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