BIOCAP Releases Bioenergy Guide for BC

February 29, 2008
For Immediate Release
(Kingston, ON) — The BIOCAP Canada Foundation and BC Government just released a new information guide on bioenergy options in BC. The guide will assist small communities, aboriginal groups, municipalities and industry in developing biomass energy opportunities and technologies.
Last year the BC Government announced an aggressive clean energy plan that commits the province to generating at least 90% of its total power generation from clean or renewable energy. Biomass, as a “carbon neutral” resource, can make a major contribution towards this goal. The flexible energy source can also provide clean fuels for transportation and heating.
“There is tremendous potential for biomass to add to the energy mix in BC,” said David Layzell, President and CEO of BIOCAP. “A previous BIOCAP report on biomass potential in the province found that over 30 million dry tonnes of biomass could be available annually for bioenergy applications. The new primer will be a valuable tool for diverse stakeholders looking to develop this large bioenergy opportunity.”
An Information Guide on Pursuing Biomass Energy Opportunities and Technologies in British Columbia provides a wealth of information on:
· available bioenergy options and technologies
· requirements and potential hurdles of each technology
· existing and potential markets
· sources of funding and financing.
The Guide provides a step-by-step plan for developing a biomass energy project, including information on how to find consultants and technology suppliers. Prepared by ENVINT Consulting with support and input from BIOCAP, BC Ministry of Forests and Range, BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum and the Northern Development Initiative Trust, the Guide is available for download at www.biocap.ca and http://www.energyplan.gov.bc.ca/bioenergy/
On Jan. 31, 2008, the BC Government unveiled the details of its new bioenergy strategy which will create new opportunities for rural communities, spur new investment and innovation, and help British Columbia reach the goal of becoming electricity self-sufficient by 2016. BC leads the country in energy production from biomass. Over 800 megawatts of biomass electricity capacity is installed in the province, enough to power 640,000 households. Pulp and paper mills meet over a third of their electricity needs through cogeneration of electricity and steam on site. In 2007, the BC wood pellet industry produced over 900,000 tonnes of wood pellets, of which 90 per cent was exported for thermal power production overseas.
"The BC Bioenergy Strategy lays the framework for us to convert more waste into clean energy, helping to ensure we meet future energy demands," said Premier Gordon Campbell. "There is an abundance of bioenergy opportunities, such as using biomass created out of the mountain pine beetle outbreak that can stimulate investment and economic diversification while producing clean energy."
In addition to providing greenhouse gas benefits, developing bioenergy opportunities in BC will help provide cheaper and more sustainable energy to remote communities, create local employment, stimulate the rural economy and expand emerging export markets.
BIOCAP Canada is a national not-for-profit foundation that has spent the last ten years delivering insights and technologies to support the transition to sustainable bioeconomy. The Foundation will cease operations in March 2008 due to a lack of funding, but related work on the bioeconomy will continue through the many networks, institutes and research programs that BIOCAP helped create.