Follow the Leader Ontario replaced coal; will others follow? ntario Power Generation has set an example for the global energy market. The official startup of the Thunder Bay Generating Station, which uses advanced biomass to provide power to the grid rather than coal, has created a new generation of power gen-eration that should catch the attention of countries around the world. (See our feature story on page 10). It seems that, finally, the introduction of the Arbapellets from Oslo, Norway may provide the solution for the replace-ment of coal generation on a global scale. But it isn’t necessarily just the clean nature of the fuel that should be grabbing the attention of global energy thought-leaders; it is the cost of the conversion. The coal-fired power plant conversion to advanced biomass cost just $5 million, a very inexpensive solution for switching to a renewable energy source. That number becomes ever more unbelievable when you consider that the conversion of the OPG Atikokan Generating Station cost $170 million to switch to white pellets. With a newly-elected federal Liberal government in place, there is also a greater chance that solutions will be sought to further the climate change agenda in Canada. The rhetoric from Team Trudeau during the campaign suggested that a greater commitment to meeting stricter climate change targets in Canada will soon be a national priority. So then where does a new tech-nology with low conversion costs but no domestic production come into play in the changing environmental landscape? Volume 15 No. 6 Editor -Andrew Macklin (905) 713-4358 [email protected] Editor -Andrew Snook (905) 713-4301 [email protected] Contributors -Gordon Murray, Staffan Melin Editorial Director/Group Publisher -Scott Jamieson (519) 429-3966 ext 244 [email protected] Market Production Manager Josée Crevier Ph: (514) 425-0025 Fax: (514) 425-0068 [email protected] National Sales Manager Ross Anderson Ph: (519) 429-5188 Fax: (519) 429-3094 [email protected] Quebec Sales Josée Crevier Ph: (514) 425-0025 Fax: (514) 425-0068 [email protected] Western Sales Manager Tim Shaddick [email protected] Ph: (604) 264-1158 Fax: (604) 264-1367 Media Designer -Alison Keba Circulation Manager Carol Nixon – [email protected] 450-458-0461 Canadian Biomass is published six times a year: February, April, June, August, October, and December. Published and printed by Annex Business Media. Publication Mail Agreement # 40065710 Printed in Canada ISSN 2290-3097 Subscription Rates: Canada -1 Yr $49.50; 2 Yr $87.50; 3 Yr $118.50 Single Copy -$9.00 (Canadian prices do not include applicable taxes) USA – 1 Yr $60 US; Foreign – 1 Yr $77 US CIRCULATION Tel: (416) 442-5600 ext 3552 Fax: (416) 510-5170 [email protected] 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 Occasionally, Canadian Biomass magazine will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above. No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission ©2015 Annex Business Media, All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication. www.canadianbiomassmagazine.ca NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 O Could advanced biomass rise to the forefront of the climate change agenda based on the Thunder Bay project? Conceivably, the answer could easily be yes, even without the political will of the individual provinces. Here’s why. During the election campaign, Prime Minister Trudeau spent some time campaigning alongside Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, also a member of the Liberal Party. To date, Ontario has made the most investments in green energy and has successfully pushed coal-generation out of the province. PM Trudeau and Premier Wynne’s friendship suggests the allies will consult on matters of national importance, and as stated earlier, the prime minister has made it clear that cli-mate change will be a national priority. We already know that PM Trudeau is prepared to run short-term deficits to accomplish his goals. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to see a grant system put in place to encourage the additional power authorities to convert. And if other provincial energy providers came on board, that would certainly gen-erate enough national demands for com-panies to look at investing in advanced biomass production on Canadian soil. The change in government, the polit-ical allies, and the low cost of conver-sion look to have created a perfect storm to make the replacement of coal with advanced biomass, on a national scale, a realistic possibility. • 4 Canadian BIOMASS
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