Pellet Profile Pinnacle implements best practices at new Smithers plant By Ellen Cools he past year has seen many changes for Pinnacle Renewable Energy: in February 2018, the company completed an initial public offering; in March, it commissioned its Entwistle, Alta. facility; and in September, it acquired a 70 per cent interest in a pellet plant in Alabama. But the company did not stop there. In November 2018, Pin-nacle began production at its newest pellet plant in Smithers, B.C. According to management, safety was top of mind through-out the planning, construction and now operation of Canada’s newest wood pellet facility, which features some of the latest dust suppression, spark detection and explosion prevention systems. In conjunction with Pinnacle’s safety culture and programs, the company is setting a high standard for the industry. ‘A GOOD FIT’ Building Safety T With six plants already in B.C. and one in Alberta, why did Pin-nacle decide to build a new one in Smithers? According to Leroy Reitsma, Pinnacle’s president and chief operating officer, the company saw an opportunity to partner with West Fraser and create a mutually beneficial solution. West Fraser’s Smithers sawmill is located in a region that features a mix of spruce, pine, balsam and some incidental hemlock and cedar. During the mountain pine beetle epidemic, the sawmill was focused on harvesting pine from the areas east of Smithers. Howev-er, as this sawmill transitioned back into the areas more to the west of the community, the amount of balsam and pulpwood increased. A local solution was needed to address this, Reitsma says. West Fraser and Pinnacle have joint ownership of the new plant; West Fraser owns 30 per cent and Pinnacle the remaining 70 per cent. As part of the project, the partnership acquired the site of Northern Engineered Wood Products (Newpro), an inde-pendent particle board manufacturer that had ceased operations in Smithers. Particle board markets are wood species sensitive; they prefer pine and spruce, and cannot accept balsam. Andritz pellitizers at Pinnacle Renewable Energy’s new pellet plant in Smithers, B.C. Photo courtesy Pinnacle Renewable Energy. 10 Canadian BIOMASS WINTER 2019
Canadian Biomass Winter 2019: Page 10
