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Ontario betting big on biomass in northwestern region
Ontario betting big on biomass in northwestern region

CBC

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • CBC

Ontario betting big on biomass in northwestern region

Northwestern Ontario's biomass sector is getting a significant boost from the provincial government, to the tune of $6.2 million. Thunder Bay's Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE) will be receiving $5 million of the funding to go toward advancing research and development of forest based products. The announcement was made on Friday amidst heaps of lumber shavings at the Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper mill. The funding is part of the Ontario government's Forest Biomass Action Plan. "Our government's forest biomass program is developing this valuable resource through targeted investments, increasing Ontario's use of forest biomass, byproducts and related technologies," said Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay-Atikokan and the province's associate minister of forestry and forest products. Biomass development has received increased attention across Canada over the past few years, largely due to its potential as an alternative to non-renewable fossil fuels. "The technologies and the product development that we support feeds into automotive, chemical, housing, energy and so much more," said Scott Jackson, CRIBE's CEO, at the press conference. Jackson says the research centre is currently exploring the conversion of woody biomass into liquid fuels. CRIBE is one of eight projects receiving funding from the province. Thunder Bay's century old Pulp and Paper mill will also be receiving $87,500 towards designing upgrades to its sludge procession, fibre recovery and boiler systems, according to a press release distributed at the announcement. "We have trace amounts of lime and, you know, useful products that rather than going to a landfill we can reclaim through sludge processing and we can utilize them on farm fields and in other ways," said Bill MacPherson, CEO of Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper. He adds that for any log that is processed for lumber, roughly 15 to 20 percent of it is converted to wood chips that likely will go to the landfill. "We could turn that into pulp, useful products, along with green energy." The mill's funding builds on the $5 million dollars it received last year from the province to modernize its electrical system, namely through improving the efficiency of its green power generation infrastructure. Thunder Bay's current acting mayor Dominic Pasqualino says the forestry sector has long been a cornerstone in northwestern Ontario's regional economy, and any investments in the sector are beneficial to the region as a whole. Other companies that received funding this year include White River Forest Products in White River and Biopower in Atikokan, Ont. Four Nirst Nations in the region are also receiving funding towards biomass fuel conversion, wood storage and merchandising, and development of forestry practices. "Through this funding, our community has been able to undertake several critical studies and purchase much needed equipment for a biomass heating project," said Chief Paul Gladu, of Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek, also known as Sand Point First Nation. He says the heat provided from biomass will lower electricity costs for members of his community. Why biomass? Biomass includes wood shavings and waste, dead trees and other plant matter that can be used to generate heat, contribute to the making of more sustainable building materials, and even help develop renewable fuels. Increasingly, provinces and territories have been encouraging the use of biomass as a way to clean up their power grids. In March, Nova Scotia's government made regulatory changes to Nova Scotia Power, requiring the utility to use 160 gigawatt hours of biomass annually until 2027. Meanwhile, government officials and researchers in the Northwest Territories have been advocating for the use of biomass to help the territory ween off its reliance on diesel. Not all environmental advocates are on board with the use of biomass as a green alternative. In 2020, research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that the burning of wood contributed as much carbon emission as coal and even more than natural gas. Biomass as a fuel for the future? Biomass remains highly sought after in Europe, as researchers look for ways to convert it into reusable fuels for futher automation, and to power vehicles. "We're seeing European markets that are demanding a certain level of renewable biofuels," Jackson said. Last year, Irish renewable energy company Simply Blue announced plans for a multi-billion dollar project in Nova Scotia that would look to convert wood chips, alongside solar and wind, into jet fuel. Meanwhile, Canadian renewable fuel manufactuers SustainAgro Ltd. announced plans in 2023 to open a facility in Prince Edward Island to convert biomass into renewable diesel.

From the Farm: Ag geneticist creates new product to increase crop yields
From the Farm: Ag geneticist creates new product to increase crop yields

Yahoo

time18-07-2025

  • Science
  • Yahoo

From the Farm: Ag geneticist creates new product to increase crop yields

CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — There's a new farm process and product that regulates gene pathways in crops, which would increase biomass and increase yields. From the Farm: Crop Physiology Field Day at U of I Soybean geneticist Ken Paige is the man behind this new process, which he calls Frenzy. He sat down with Stu Ellis to talk about what it brings to agriculture and the goals he has for his product. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword

Province promises more wood heat, wood buildings in wake of Northern Pulp selling off assets
Province promises more wood heat, wood buildings in wake of Northern Pulp selling off assets

CBC

time17-07-2025

  • Business
  • CBC

Province promises more wood heat, wood buildings in wake of Northern Pulp selling off assets

Social Sharing Days after Nova Scotia's forestry sector was dealt a major blow, the province is promising to use more wood to heat and construct public buildings — although officials deny any connection between the two developments. Two cabinet ministers made the announcement Thursday at Ledwidge Lumber, a sawmill in Elmsdale, N.S. Public Works Minister Fred Tilley said every government department is being directed to look for opportunities to use wood products that are leftover after trees have been harvested and milled for lumber. The products could include mass timber, wood pellets, biomass and biofuels. Tilley said the move was driven by the province's desire to become more self-reliant, reduce fossil fuel use and produce more locally-made construction materials. "Local wood products are going to be a big part of our solution," Tilley said. The announcement came three days after news that officials with Northern Pulp were abandoning plans for a possible new mill and bioproducts hub that would have been constructed near Liverpool around the site of the former Bowater paper mill. Until its original mill shut down five years ago, Northern Pulp bought up large quantities of low-grade wood products from woodlots across the region. The mill's closure left the industry searching for new markets, and hoping the operators would restart. Earlier this week, Northern Pulp officials said they had completed a feasibility study of a proposed project in Liverpool, N.S., and found it would not achieve the targeted 14 per cent rate of return. "This is not in response to the announcement of Northern Pulp," said Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton. "This is one of many things that have been in the breadbasket to work on for low-grade wood fibre and our forestry sector. This has been worked on for some time," he said. The province said it will launch a procurement in the near future to get new wood-fired heating systems for buildings and district heat projects, which are multiple buildings using a shared heating system. It's also promising to review its policies to ensure wood heat and construction are considered in all projects and that there are no barriers to their use. Rushton and Tilley could not say how long this work would take or what it could cost. Doug Ledwidge, the president of Ledwidge Lumber, endorsed the province's efforts, noting the challenge the Canada-U.S. trade dispute has created for his industry. Forest Nova Scotia estimates the industry exports about $600 million of products to the U.S. every year. "Local is a good place to sell our products," Ledwidge said. Ledwidge Lumber is working on a new biofuel project that would use shavings, sawdust and pulp chips from its sawmill to create a liquid heating fuel. Ledwidge said he would be "pretty happy" to see the province buy the product for hospitals or schools. He said it's difficult for the forestry industry to practise ecological forestry — a system adopted by the previous Liberal government — without the market that Northern Pulp provided, but projects such as this help. "By no means is it the same volume, but it's chipping away at it," said Ledwidge. Ledwidge Lumber is also a partner in a startup called Mass Timber Company, which is aiming to build a plant in Elmsdale to produce mass timber — an engineered wood product — to be used in building construction. Patrick Crabbe, Mass Timber Company's president and CEO, said the plant could be built in two to two-and-a-half years. It is still contingent on financing. He lauded the province's new commitment to wood products, calling it "an exemplary effort." Court documents shed light on Northern Pulp's plans Meanwhile, lawyers for Northern Pulp were in a British Columbia courtroom on Thursday where they received approval for a plan to extend creditor protection while preparations continue to auction off the outfit's Nova Scotia assets. Documents filed as part of that process include the pre-feasibility assessment for the Liverpool project, which ultimately led to the determination the idea was not viable. According to the document, the project capacity would have struck "a balance between the available wood resources in Nova Scotia and the critical scale needed to be competitive on the pulp markets." A conventional pulp mill would have a rate of return below six per cent, according to the document. Northern Pulp said a new project needed to generate a rate of return of 14 per cent. "Instead, the Liverpool Project would need to monetize the full value of fibre and become a state-of-the-art biorefinery producing pulp, electricity, biochemical byproducts and capture carbon," reads the document. The price tag would have been $3.7 billion and that would not have been enough to reach the 14 per cent rate of return, according to the report. The project would have been a "first-of-a-kind for Canada and the rest of the world." "Furthermore, recent developments in global pulp markets point to a prolonged downcycle risk that would make the assumed selling price in the financial model unattainable, at least for the first years after the potential commissioning." Of Northern Pulp's assets in this province, perhaps the most significant is almost 200,000 hectares of timberlands.

In words and photos, rural Alaska residents reflect on their village's sustainable practices
In words and photos, rural Alaska residents reflect on their village's sustainable practices

Yahoo

time28-06-2025

  • General
  • Yahoo

In words and photos, rural Alaska residents reflect on their village's sustainable practices

GALENA, Alaska (AP) — In rural central Alaska, a village is in the midst of a clean energy transformation that locals say will boost savings, build resilience and provide jobs. Galena wants to curb its reliance on expensive, imported diesel that when burned is one of the largest contributors of planet-warming emissions. Nearly 10 years ago, the village started harvesting trees to fuel a biomass plant to heat its bustling boarding school, offsetting about 100,000 gallons (about 380,000 liters) of diesel annually. The local Louden Tribe is encouraging people to collect floating logs from the Yukon River that can be used for firewood and siding for the sustainable homes they're building for members. And soon a 1.5-megawatt solar farm will allow the city to turn off its diesel engines and run on 100% clean, renewable energy on sunny summer days, with excess power stored in a battery for later use. That will save another 100,000 gallons annually. The Associated Press talked to residents about their village's sustainable and renewable energy projects. Here are some of their reflections: Tim Kalke, 46, general manager at Sustainable Energy for Galena Alaska 'We're just ensuring that our critical infrastructure has redundancy and protection built into it, so that every time there's a power outage, it doesn't turn into tens of thousands of dollars in repairs in its wake.' Jade Thurmond, 20, a Galena resident working on the solar farm 'I'm really excited for when we are using it and how we'll reduce our diesel usage. I think that would be pretty fun to see and to hear about in the future, and see what comes along.' Jake Pogrebinsky, 54, a sawmill operator for Louden Tribe and driftwood collector 'Instead of having to make money to pay for barge freight or to buy materials, you are spending your time out on the river. For a young person, as a lesson, as a skill-building activity, it cannot possibly be compared to.' Brad Scotton, 54, a Galena city council member 'What (the biomass plant) has done is stabilize (costs), and it's created a local workforce and a job base that we never used to have. So it's keeping the money that used to go outside within the community and providing pretty meaningful jobs for people.' Will Kramer, 29, an applied mechanics instructor at Galena Interior Learning Academy 'We are just at the whim of whatever somebody else that wants to make all the money off of us is saying and doing. And being able to install and integrate these systems in these communities, it kind of gives the freedom back to the communities.' Phil Koontz, 74 , a retired environmental engineer for the Louden Tribe 'It would be very hard to live here without outside resources. I see fuel as probably the main outside resource that we use. It provides most of the electricity, it provides most of the transportation, it provides most of the heat. I don't know what we're going to do without those things. One of the solutions I see is efficiency, reducing the need for energy to produce the same result, better insulated houses, better vehicles, better energy sources.' Aaren Sommer, 19, a Galena resident helping install the solar array The array is 'going to reduce the diesel usage a whole bunch over at the power plant, which is going to help us out.' ___ Pineda reported from Los Angeles. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit

In words and photos, rural Alaska residents reflect on their village's sustainable practices
In words and photos, rural Alaska residents reflect on their village's sustainable practices

The Independent

time28-06-2025

  • General
  • The Independent

In words and photos, rural Alaska residents reflect on their village's sustainable practices

In rural central Alaska, a village is in the midst of a clean energy transformation that locals say will boost savings, build resilience and provide jobs. Galena wants to curb its reliance on expensive, imported diesel that when burned is one of the largest contributors of planet-warming emissions. Nearly 10 years ago, the village started harvesting trees to fuel a biomass plant to heat its bustling boarding school, offsetting about 100,000 gallons (about 380,000 liters) of diesel annually. The local Louden Tribe is encouraging people to collect floating logs from the Yukon River that can be used for firewood and siding for the sustainable homes they're building for members. And soon a 1.5-megawatt solar farm will allow the city to turn off its diesel engines and run on 100% clean, renewable energy on sunny summer days, with excess power stored in a battery for later use. That will save another 100,000 gallons annually. The Associated Press talked to residents about their village's sustainable and renewable energy projects. Here are some of their reflections: Tim Kalke, 46, general manager at Sustainable Energy for Galena Alaska 'We're just ensuring that our critical infrastructure has redundancy and protection built into it, so that every time there's a power outage, it doesn't turn into tens of thousands of dollars in repairs in its wake.' Jade Thurmond, 20, a Galena resident working on the solar farm 'I'm really excited for when we are using it and how we'll reduce our diesel usage. I think that would be pretty fun to see and to hear about in the future, and see what comes along.' Jake Pogrebinsky, 54, a sawmill operator for Louden Tribe and driftwood collector 'Instead of having to make money to pay for barge freight or to buy materials, you are spending your time out on the river. For a young person, as a lesson, as a skill-building activity, it cannot possibly be compared to.' Brad Scotton, 54, a Galena city council member 'What (the biomass plant) has done is stabilize (costs), and it's created a local workforce and a job base that we never used to have. So it's keeping the money that used to go outside within the community and providing pretty meaningful jobs for people.' Will Kramer, 29, an applied mechanics instructor at Galena Interior Learning Academy 'We are just at the whim of whatever somebody else that wants to make all the money off of us is saying and doing. And being able to install and integrate these systems in these communities, it kind of gives the freedom back to the communities.' Phil Koontz, 74 , a retired environmental engineer for the Louden Tribe 'It would be very hard to live here without outside resources. I see fuel as probably the main outside resource that we use. It provides most of the electricity, it provides most of the transportation, it provides most of the heat. I don't know what we're going to do without those things. One of the solutions I see is efficiency, reducing the need for energy to produce the same result, better insulated houses, better vehicles, better energy sources.' Aaren Sommer, 19, a Galena resident helping install the solar array The array is 'going to reduce the diesel usage a whole bunch over at the power plant, which is going to help us out.' ___ Pineda reported from Los Angeles. ___

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