Category Archives: Biomass

Resolute Forest Products has officially inaugurated a major power island producing green energy at its pulp and paper operation located in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The power island includes a refurbished and upgraded woodwaste boiler and a new 65-megawatt condensing turbine. Approved by Resolute in early 2011, the C$65 million project took just over 21 months to complete.

“The power island is a strategic addition to Resolute’s Thunder Bay facility,” stated Richard Garneau, President and Chief Executive Officer. “It will reduce the mill’s energy costs as well as maximize our local woodlands, sawmill, pulp and paper, and energy operations by fully utilizing forest-based biomass to produce green electricity.”

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British Columbia is expanding a program called Wood Waste 2 Rural Heat that helps turn wood waste into heat for buildings and homes in rural communities in the province’s interior.

A total of $240,000 will be invested in over two years in the Wood Waste 2 Rural Heat project.  $50,000 will be coming from the B.C. Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training.  The provincial government is partnering with:

• Columbia Basin Trust (donated $60,000 to the program)
• Southern Interior Beetle Action Coalition (donated $60,000 to the program)
• Omineca Beetle Action Coalition (donated $36,000 to the program)
• Cariboo-Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition (donated $35,000 to the program)

Rural British Columbia has a reliable fuel supply of wood waste produced by ecosystem restoration projects, community forests, woodlots and other small tenure holders. Converted into pellets and chips, this woody biomass can power heating projects for smaller communities and businesses, a practice that has been hugely successful in Europe, most notably throughout Austria.

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The First Nations Power Authority is hoping they can start construction this summer on the Meadow Lake Bioenergy Centre in northern Saskatchewan.

If constructed, the Centre will be capable of producing 36,000 kilowatts of power from wood byproducts (including bark, branches, sawdust, wood chips and other leftovers) from the Norsask Forest Products mill.

The project’s price tag is $150 million. All parties hope to get the project up and running by 2015.

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Nova Scotia amended its renewable electricity regulations today.

The regulations require biomass be used at Port Hawkesbury Paper to provide renewable electricity starting this year, establish more flexibility for Nova Scotia Power to plan for various renewable targets and make it clear that power accessed through the Maritime Link must be used, if the project is approved by the Utility and Review Board.

“We all have an interest in pursuing a sustainable fuel supply through cleaner energy sources while protecting and creating good jobs,” said Energy Minister Charlie Minister Parker. “It is no longer an option to rely on old ways to generate electricity without the support of renewable sources.”

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A group of industry association is joining forces in a new Bio-economy network (BEN) to explore ways to take advantage of the significant emerging potential in the global marketplace for bio-based products.

The announcement was made today at the Canadian Renewable Fuels Summit taking place in Ottawa. BEN represents about 800 members companies that support more than two million jobs in areas such as the auto parts, biotech, chemical, agriculture and forest products industries. So far nine industry associations have joined and other associations are invited to sign up as well to explore new business modes and partnerships across sectors.

“Canada has an abundance of renewable resources that can feed a wide range of bio-products” says Catherine Cobden, the executive vice president of the Forest Products Association of Canada and the chair of BEN.  “Developing our bio-potential will help unleash our national resources potential to spur future economic growth and job creation in Canada.”

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Innoventé Inc. is delaying the operating start of its first biomass-driven power-generating plant located in St-Patrice-de-Beaurivage, Quebec until April 30th, rather than December.

“We are sparing no efforts to make sure that the plant will be operational as soon as possible, but at the same time we are committed to high standards and strict environmental regulation”, explains Richard Painchaud, president of Innoventé.

Jacques Gauthier, a director of the company with an extensive experience in the energy sector, has agreed to provide support to the project team to optimize the process leading to commercial operation of the plant.

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Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has announced 2 contracts for supplying biomass wood pellets to the new Atikokan Generation Station in northwestern Ontario.

90,000 tonnes of pellets will be supplied by:

• Atikokan Renewable Fuels – 45,000 tonnes
• Resolute Forest Products – 45,000 tonnes

Over 150 new jobs will be created through the wood pellet supply for the Atikokan Generating Station.

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Resolute Forest Products plans to build an industrial wood pellet plant that will convert a currently underutilized residual material into a reliable source of renewable energy.

Construction of the plant is expected to begin shortly and is scheduled for completion in 2014.

The company has signed a 10 year agreement to supply Ontario Power Generation with 45,000 metric tons of pellets annually for the Atikokan Generating Station.

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Conifex Timber Inc. has received shipment and delivery of its turbine generator at its power facility situated in Mackenzie, British Columbia in connection with the company’s bioenergy project.

The project is approximately 30% complete and is currently on budget and on time.

In order to further the continued development of the project and secure satisfactory long-term financing, Conifex is continuing with essential engineering and equipment procurement activities but will temporarily suspend installation and construction activities.

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Ledwidge Lumber Co. Ltd. of Enfield, Nova Scotia is working on plans to start generating power.

They would like to establish a 4 megawatt generator that would burn biomass. The company would sell the power to Nova Scotia Power to reduce their operation’s power bill.

Currently, Ledwidge Lumber primarily produces lumber, and also sells pulp chips to Northern Pulp, and sawdust to Shaw Resources who uses the sawdust to manufacture wood pellets for residential pellet stoves.  Ledgwidge also sells bark to the Brooklyn Power Corp. facility that Resolute Forest Products owns where the bark is used to fuel a 24 megawatt facility.

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