adhered to is to work with sawmills that are leaders in the industry,” he says. “For example, we’ve worked together with Ca- nadian Forest Products (Canfor) and the Moricetown Native Band in Houston, British Columbia, to benefit everyone in building a pellet plant as partners beside the Canfor sawmill in 2006. The sawmill has realized an increased revenue stream from its byproducts, and the partnership receives steady access to raw materials.” Abbotsford-based Biomass Secure Power is another company using a partner strategy. It has an agreement with Lower Nicola Indian Band to begin construction in early 2010 on a 12-MW biomass cogeneration and pellet plant in Merritt. President and CEO Jim Carroll says that the plant will use only beetle wood sourced from local mill residue and specifically cut under tender. From Grinder to Chipper in Record Time! Another strategic alliance – this one between Western Biomass Power Corpora- tion of Prince George and the Tsilhqot’in National Government – will submit a Phase II proposal to BC Hydro’s Bioenergy Call for Power. If accepted, a $260-million, 60- MW generating plant (with some heat also produced) using mostly beetle wood will be built in the Cariboo Chilcotin region. Western Biomass’ manager of busi- ness development, Jeff Paquin, says, “The Tsilhqot’in National Government recently bought an idle sawmill that shut down about a year ago, which employed mostly First Nations people, and Western Biomass bought the land next to it. This project, if accepted, will mean that the sawmill’s financial viability will greatly improve and thereby sustain traditional sawmill jobs while creating new bioenergy employ- ment.” The cost of forest management planning, harvesting, and reforestation will be shared between the two operations, and both partners will share electricity profits. Western Biomass is also submitting a pro- posal for a 30-MW plant with Gitxan First Nations in the Hazelton area. The BC government instituted the Bio- MORBARK® GRindeRs More Versatility. More Opportunity. Normally, high-quality chips and mulch are produced on separate machines, but with the Morbark® your market opportunities with a single Morbark® grinders on the market are now the most versatile with the introduction of the Morbark® Quick Switch Grinder-to-Chipper Conversion Kit. MORBARK® Horizontal Grinder-to-Chipper Conversion Kit. Turn grinder downtime into profit by modifying the hammermill of your Morbark® horizontal grinder in the field – without special tools or heavy equipment. Make the switch and produce high-quality biomass fuel chips in only a few hours! Go to Morbark.com/QuickSwitch to see a video demonstration or call 800-831-0042 for more information. Building EquipmEnt that CrEatEs OppOrtunitiEs Several years after dying, trees killed by the mountain pine beetle can become inaccessible for biomass harvest because of their susceptibility to falling, as well as under- story regeneration. 10 CanadianBIOMASS JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2010 Quick Switch, you can produce both products and virtually double grinder. The best horizontal energy Call for Power as part of its efforts to become electrically self-sufficient by 2016. Phase I, conducted in 2008, resulted in four electricity purchase agreements from proj- ects headed by Canfor Pulp and PG Interior Waste to Energy in Prince George, Domtar Pulp and Paper Products in Kamloops, and Photo: Dr. Kathy Lewis, University of Northern British Columbia
Canadian Biomass January/February 2010: Page 10
