BIOMASS AS BLACK SHEEP? Washington, DC - Several orga- nizations have recently come out with studies warning of disrup- tions to the traditional fibre supply fl ow owing to the increasing interest in woody biomass. In mid September, an AF&PA workshop in Washington, DC concluded that bioenergy is a complex issue re- quiring better, and more compre- hensive research and analysis for the US to realize the full potential that domestically produced bioen- IN BRIEF... Quebec residue shortage Operations have been suspended temporarily at two Boralex Power Income Fund co-gen plants in Quebec because of diffi culties in obtain- ing residue as a result of sawmill closures. The company plans to use this time to conserve and replenish its wood supplies to meet the demands of the peak power period between December and March. Sawmill cogeneration plans In British Columbia, Canfor is building a new wood cogeneration plant at its Fort St. John sawmill to reduce operating costs. Construction should be completed by late spring 2009. In Ontario, funding has been provided by the Ontario Forest Sector Prosperity Fund and Loan Guarantee Program to restart a sawmill in Harcourt and construct a four megawatt cogeneration plant to supply the mill. Fort Frances biomass up & running As of press time, AbitibiBowater was set to start pressure testing on its $85-million, 45 MW biomass co-gen plant in Fort Frances, ON. The massive plant has been stockpiling hog fuel for almost a year in preparation for start-up. More grinder options in BC Precision Husky announced at DEMO 2008 that Inland Kenworth (Parker Pacifi c) will sell and service all of the supplier’s equipment at the dealer’s locations across BC. Pictured left to right is Parker Pacific’s forestry equipment manager Tracey Russell with Precision’s VP engi- neering Billy Daniels at Precision’s DEMO site. The line includes 10 models of tub grinders and six horizontal grinders (100 to 1,100 hp). The company also makes sawmill chippers, knuckle boom loaders, and flail debarkers. Emissions control TurboSonic Technologies will be supplying pollution abatement equip- ment to control emissions from a new waste-to-energy biofuel plant in Canada. EVENTS BOARD MARCH 25-27, 2009 • SMALL LOG CONFERENCE Coeur d’Alene, ID (406) 529-3352 www.timberbuysell.com APRIL 1-3, 2009 • COUNCIL OF FOREST INDUSTRIES (COFI) AGM & CONVENTION Prince George, BC (604) 684-0211 www.cofi.org APRIL 28-30, 2009 • INTERNATIONAL BIOMASS CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW Portland, OR (719) 539-0300 www.biomassconference.com MAY 13-15, 2009 • SMALLWOOD 2008 AND BIOENERGY & WOOD PRODUCTS JOINT CONFERENCE Madison, WI (217) 333-5900 www.forestprod.org MAY 18-22, 2009 • LIGNA 2009 Hannover, Germany +49 511 89 32126 www.ligna.de JUNE 3-6, 2009 • ELMIA WOOD 2009 Jonkoping, Sweden +46 (0) 36 15 22 34 www1.elmia.se/wood AUGUST 31-SEPTEMBER 4, 2009 • BIOENERGY 2009 – SUSTAINABLE BIOENERGY BUSINESS CONFERENCE & EXHIBIT Jyvaskyla, Finland www.bioenergy2009.finbioenergy.fi SEPTEMBER 10-12, 2009 • WOOD WEEK 09 - INTERSAW, LOGFOR, & DEMO FORET 2000 CONFERENCE Quebec City, (506) 658-0018 www.masterpromotions.ca CanadianBIOMASS 7 ergy can bring to fighting climate change and dependence on foreign energy without distorting tradi- tional fibre markets. RISI also released a report on the effects the demand for woody biomass and low grade wood may have on established players like pulp mills. It suggests that the extra demand will be close to 50 million tons in the near future, including an extra 3 million tons in eastern Canada and over Is biomass friend or foe? To a large extent, that will depend if youʼre buying or selling, and where. 4 million tons in western Canada and counting. Finally, Wood Markets Sep- tember issue concludes that the emerging biomass markets will be both an opportunity and a threat to established forest industry com- panies. Opportunities abound for sawmills and other originators of wood residues, as well as landown- ers with an abundance of lower grade material. Threats are seen es- pecially for those using that lower end of the fi bre spectrum – MDF, particleboard, and pulp plants.
Canadian Biomass December 2008: Page 7
