The government of British Columbia is investing $32.6 million in 27 clean energy and biofuel projects.
“British Columbia’s alternative energy and biofuel sectors are becoming world leaders in pioneering cutting-edge clean, green technology,” said B.C. premier Gordon Campbell.
The province’s Innovative Clean Energy fund will invest $22.6 million in 19 projects ranging from generating electricity from ocean waves and railway ties to extracting energy from raw waste water.
Another $10 million will be spent on eight liquid biofuel projects with demonstrated low greenhouse gas emissions. The total estimated value of the approved biofuel projects is $100 million, meaning $90 million will come from other sources.
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British Columbia has a mandate that calls for a minimum of five percent average renewable content in gasoline and diesel used in the province by 2010.
The biggest biofuel project is the proposed $60 million Peace Biofuels Ltd. biodiesel plant to be constructed in Dawson Creek, B.C. The government’s contribution to the project is $2 million.
Once built, the facility will produce 40 million litres of biodiesel a year from canola grown in the Peace region of B.C. The plant would include a canola crushing facility.
A number of other smaller biodiesel projects received funding, most of which will be using landfill waste, cooking oil and rendered animal fats.
Two cellulose ethanol projects also received funding.
The funding announcement was made at Lignol Innovations in Burnaby, B.C., a company that received $3.4 million in provincial funding for its $11.6 million cellulose ethanol project.
Lignol will produce ethanol and other products from beetle-killed lodgepole pine trees and other under-used forest resources at its new pilot plant.
The approved clean energy and liquid biofuel projects are expected to create 1,200 jobs in more than 30 B.C. communities.
The projects have a combined value of $197 million.
