Displaying items by tag: biomass

After almost two years of negotiations, the Ontario government announced on July 19 it has reached an agreement to convert the Atikokan Generating Station from coal to biomass by 2014.

Conversion of the plant, which is owned by the Ontario Power Generation Inc. and located about 200 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont., will start later this year. Once completed it will provide more than 200 megawatts (MW) of energy to the power grid.

Officials say Atikokan is the first OPG-owned facility to undergo such a conversion and will be “one of the largest biomass-fired electricity generating facilities in the world.”

“The conversion of Atikokan from dirty coal to biomass means we are reducing harmful emissions and building a modern, clean, reliable energy system,” said Bill Mauro, MPP,Thunder Bay-Atikokan.

“We’ll keep energy jobs in the Town of Atikokan and create forestry jobs in northern Ontario while ensuring a cleaner, healthier Ontario for families and future generations.”

The government estimates the Atikokan conversion will create 200 construction jobs and create or support another 200 in the forestry sector since the agreement stipulates the biomass pellets used at Atikokan must be sourced and processed in the province.

The procurement of the Atikokan generating station will provide a new market for waste fibre and act as a catalyst for a larger biomass industry in Ontario. Wood pellets will be made primarily from unused and underutilized species, non-marketable wood, forest residue and sawmill residue, according to a statement issued by the Ontario government.

Fortress Paper Ltd. ("Fortress Paper" or the "Corporation") announced today that it has signed, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Fortress Specialty Cellulose Inc. ("FSC"), an Energy Supply Agreement (the "Agreement") with Hydro Québec for the sale of green electricity to be produced at the Thurso Mill upon completion of a biomass-based cogeneration facility.

Under the Agreement, the Company will construct a cogeneration facility to provide net 18.8 megawatts of green power to Hydro Québec over a 15 year term, with deliveries estimated to commence in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Chadwick Wasilenkoff, CEO of Fortress Paper, states, "The signing of the Agreement represents an important step in achieving our business plan at the Thurso Mill, which includes the building of a cogeneration plant that produces green electricity that in turn will ultimately benefit Québec residents. We believe that the results of this partnership with Hydro Québec will be beneficial to the environment and the economy of Québec, as well as providing net energy savings (income) to Fortress Paper."

The Agreement is subject to final approval by the Régie de l'énergie in Québec which is expected to be received in the third quarter of 2010.

PULP & PAPER:
Statement of the management

"2009 posed many challenges, for our customers and for ourselves. Nevertheless, the measures implemented and the intact long-term growth drivers of the pulp and paper markets give us every reason to look towards the future with confidence.

The biggest challenge to our business area in 2009 was adapting to the changed general environment in which our customers are operating. We reacted by implementing restructuring and capacity adjustment measures very quickly – before the end of 2008. And we are optimistic that we will emerge from this crisis stronger than before. After all, we have continued to invest in research and development in spite of the difficult environment – in biomass boiler technology, for example, which pulp mills can use to produce green electricity, or in technologies for second-generation bioethanol plants using cellulosic raw materials.

It is our firm conviction that the investment potential of the pulp and paper industry in the long run is very high. The shift of pulp production capacities from the northern to the southern hemisphere and the investments made in environmental technologies that contribute towards climate protection and enhanced efficiency in customers’ plants are the principal driving forces."

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