tems in three other schools, the commu-nity college (CCNB), and the Université de Moncton (UDM) at the CCNB-UDM Shippagan Campus in New Brunswick. “Schools are out during the hottest New Brunswick months, and most don’t have widespread cooling systems... more New Brunswick schools could utilize pellet heat.” Levesque said using waste wood to heat public spaces like Hanwell Park Academy School shows a commitment to New Brunswick’s future. Canada’s forest industry is highly inte -grated and maximizes the value of every tree harvested. Canadian wood pellets are produced entirely from sawdust, shavings, harvest residues, and low-quality pulp that have been rejected by the other traditional forest sectors—sawmills, pulp mills, and panelboard plants. BSB uses third-party contractors to deliver most of its pellets but does have a truck with a scale for smaller bulk de -livery. Pellets to fuel Kingsclear and Han -well boilers come from the Group Savoie pellet mill, which has a 90,000-tonne an-nual capacity. BSB uses other producers to provide fuel for other installations, if needed. Levesque said the more cost-efficient Herz boiler system has made biomass heating more competitive compared to customized alternatives BSB used in insti -tutional facilities. The Herz units are new to North America, but the systems are heating mainstays throughout Europe and around the world. HOME-GROWN ENERGY SOLUTIONS Levesque said the momentum of adopt-ing biomass heating solutions for New Brunswick public spaces is increasing. Governments and communities are recog-nizing the advantages of wood pellets—a sustainable local fuel source, efficient heat and low carbon output for schools, hospi-tals and other facilities. “New Brunswick currently exports 90 per cent of wood pellets produced. We don’t need to export fuel that can be used at home. Biomass can offer New Bruns -wickers energy independence from im -ported fossil fuels. It is also way cheaper,” Levesque said. He said the push to “electrify every-thing” in the province has dampened, with rising power rates and utilities straining to meet increased electrical demand and peak loads. “Biomass is there to help shave the (electrical) peak during winter for New Brunswick and other provinces. Pellets or wood chips are like mini batteries, an on-demand type of heat.” He pointed to Yellowknife, N.W.T., as an example of a community taking ad -vantage of the energy stored in biomass. Yellowknife has become one of the most biomass-intensive cities in Canada. “There’s no reason why New Bruns -wick and a lot of places in Canada shouldn’t be using our local resources. We have the resource; we just don’t use it at home. We like to ship it away.” • RELIABLE HIGH PERFORMANCE PELLET FIBRE DRYING HOT GAS GENERATORS FOR ROTARY DRYERS • THERMAL FLUID HEATERS FOR BELT DRYERS Heat and Energy Specialists in the Forest Products Industry wellons.ca Canadian BIOMASS CB_WELLONS_SPRING25_BAS.indd 1 2025-04-28 12:57 PM 11
Canadian Biomass Spring 2025: Page 11
