New partners to develop Quebec biomass industry

June 6, 2011, La Sarre, QC – A new five‐year
partnership agreement on forest biomass development was unveiled in La Sarre,
Quebec, during the third edition of a symposium on biomass in the western
Abitibi region. The Centre technologique des résidus industriels (CTRI) and
FPInnovations have joined forces to carry out research and develop forest
biomass in Abitibi‐Témiscamingue and northern Quebec.

The two organizations have already worked
together successfully on various initiatives over the past year. For example,
special collaboration between the Syndicat des producteurs de bois d’Abitibi‐Témiscamingue
(SPBAT), the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec
(MRNF), CTRI, and FPInnovations has led to the development of an electronic
platform dubbed “FPJoule.” This user‐friendly electronic tool, accessible
free‐of‐charge over the Internet (www.fpinnovations.ca/FPJoule), facilitates
the conversion of conventional sales units of biomass (cubic metres, tonnes)
into energy units (megawatt‐hours and gigajoules). Users can also carry out a quick calculation
of how much they can save by converting traditional heating systems (oil, gas,
electricity) to forest biomass systems. “FPJoule will stimulate regional
forestry development by allowing users to obtain a fair price for forest biomass
on an energy basis,” says SPBAT director Stéphane Paul.

CTRI and FPInnovations are complementary in
the areas of financial assistance programs and research, and the new
partnership will allow them to provide high‐quality, one‐stop
services for promoters who want to develop forest biomass.