BC bioenergy projects given go-ahead

Aug. 26, 2009, Vancouver – The British Columbia Utilities Commission has accepted the utility's electricity purchase agreements with four biomass projects, BC Hydro announced recently.

The
four projects were successful proponents in phase one of BC Hydro's
Bioenergy Call for Power. They are: Canfor Pulp Ltd. Partnership's
project in Prince George, PG Interior Waste to Energy Ltd.'s project
in Prince George, Domtar Pulp and Paper Products Inc.'s project in
Kamloops, and Zellstoff Celgar Ltd. Partnership's project in Castlegar.

Together,
the four projects will generate a total of 579 gigawatt hours of
electricity annually, or enough to power more than 52,000 homes.

"Bioenergy
will contribute to the province's goal of achieving electricity
self-sufficiency by 2016, while at the same time provide an opportunity
to create new jobs and diversify the forest economy through the better
use of residual wood that currently goes to waste," said Blair
Lekstrom, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources.

"These
bioenergy projects will provide firm electricity year-round by
utilizing a carbon-neutral fuel, giving us another reliable, clean
energy supply option to help serve our customers," said BC Hydro
president and CEO Bob Elton.

The bioenergy facilities will use
forest-based biomass, including sawmill residue, logging debris, trees
killed by mountain pine beetle, and other residual wood, to generate
electricity. Two of the projects – Canfor's and Domtar's – are expected
to begin supplying electricity shortly; the other two projects
are under development.

The first phase of the Bioenergy Call for
Power was open to projects that did not need new forestry tenure. In
March 2009, BC Hydro launched the second phase of the Bioenergy Call, which
will include projects using wood waste sourced from new forest
tenure.