By creating a valuable energy product from material that once went to waste, Canadian wood pellet producers can take pride in providing global customers with responsible, low-carbon energy, yet this is really just the tip of the iceberg for the pellet sector. Our sector has a significant role to play in the growing bioeconomy as well as alleviating energy poverty in places like Canada’s Maritimes and remote In-digenous communities, which are more dependent on fossil fuels. Today, the wood pellet sector operates more than 50 pellet plants nationwide and is a major employer in many rural areas, providing Canadians with high paying jobs and strengthening local communities. The fact is that global markets also sup-port expansion of domestic opportunities in Canada such as development of new bioproducts and reducing energy poverty. Ironically, as our vessels depart Cana-dian ports destined for our export mar-kets that use Canadian pellets to reduce GHG emissions, those vessels are passed by incoming ones to Canada loaded with coal and crude oil for domestic use. Science shows that when you increase the demand for bioheat locally, you also contribute to better managed forests. In Sweden, bioenergy, largely in the form of wood, provides 37 per cent of the energy supply. Since 1990, Sweden’s bioener-gy consumption has doubled and, at the same time, its standing timber volume has increased by 40 per cent. This increase in standing timber volume is not despite bioenergy, but because of it. With tens of millions of cubic metres of slash left in Canada’s forests every year, we can learn from this Swedish approach. In Canada, the Williams Lake First Nation and the Tŝideldel First Nation are already at the forefront of this evolution. They have initiated several projects, with funding from the BC Forest Enhance-ment Society, to rehabilitate Douglas fir forests after a catastrophic wildfire, improve forest resiliency, and transport uneconomic residuals to support the Atlantic Power facility, which provides power to more than 50,000 homes in British Columbia. The future is here! The fact is, to realize the full potential of wood pellets, it will take a strong com-mitment and stable support from govern-ment. WPAC looks forward to continuing to work with governments at all levels to realize those opportunities for the benefit of all Canadians and to support global ef-forts to tackle climate change. I will give the last word to Gary Bull, Ph.D. forestry economics, professor and head of department for the University of British Columbia’s Department of Forest Resources Management who says, “wood pellets have an incredibly important role to play and we will see a huge evolution. The opportunities for using wood pellets right here at home and around the world are basically limitless.” • Gordon Murray is the executive director of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada. TSI BUILDS MACHINERY FOR THE BIOMASS INDUSTRY This includes Rotary Drum Dryers coupled with Heat Energy systems; TSI also builds Wet Electrostatic Precipitators when required to meet Client’s emission goals. TSI also offers technology for Torrefaction. TSI machinery is custom designed and ranges from 50,000 tons/year to 450,000 tons/year. Zlatko (Zo) Savovic (425) 239-7490 • www.tsi-inc.net Canadian BIOMASS CB_TSI_HP_Dect21_CWM.indd 1 2021-12-16 3:13 PM 9
Canadian Biomass Summer 2022: Page 9
