December 5, 2007
Provincial dollars help convert waste into watts
Fort McMurray... Austrian technology will find a new home in the Fort McMurray region converting
forestry wood waste into a valuable energy source, thanks in part to $2 million in government funding.
The project, a $16-million project from Northland Forest Products Ltd., will divert wood waste in the
region to create a new value-added opportunity from forestry bio-mass. The commercial scale plant will use a thermo-chemical process to generate both thermal and electrical
power with an estimated 1.4 megawatts of capacity, enough to power 1,400 average Alberta
households. Carbon emission mitigation is also a key component of this proposal. “Bio-energy created by forestry waste is an excellent demonstration of an Alberta value-added
opportunity,” said Mel Knight, Minister of Energy. “These grants will increase investment in the
bio-energy marketplace and help unlock other ways that Albertans can get more out of all their
resources.” The funding was allocated through the Biorefining Commercialization and Market Development
Program and the Bio-energy Infrastructure Development Program. Both grant programs are part of the
Alberta government’s $239-million Nine-Point Bio-energy Plan designed to encourage the growth of a
clean, renewable fuel industry in Alberta.
“The Fort McMurray region is a centre for energy innovation,” said Guy Boutilier, MLA for Fort
McMurray-Wood Buffalo, “Growing our bio-energy market not only improves and diversifies our
energy portfolio, but creates new economic activity across the province.”
The grants also support product development, market research, and feasibility studies to assist
bio-refiners in adopting new technologies and meeting market requirements. More information on Alberta’s bio-energy industry and the grant programs is available on the Alberta
Energy website at www.energy.gov.ab.ca under the Our Business section.
Developing Alberta’s bio-energy portfolio is part of Premier Ed Stelmach's plan to secure Alberta’s
future by building communities, greening our growth and creating opportunity.
-30Media enquiries may be directed to:
Howard Ewashko
President, Northland Forest Products Ltd..
780-743-3773
To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000. Sean Beardow
Alberta Energy Communications
780-422-3786
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