Enerkem’s biofuels plant with a production capacity of 36 million liters/10 million gallons per annum would use its proprietary technology to convert municipal solid waste into biofuel.
Enerkem Alberta Biofuels, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Enerkem, will build, own and operate the biofuel facility with a 25-year agreement to convert 100,000 tonnes of the city’s municipal solid waste into biofuel annually.
Enerkem’s biofuels facility is expected to cut Alberta’s carbon dioxide footprint by six million tonnes over the next 25 years, by replacing a portion of the petroleum fuels currently used and by avoiding the methane emissions created during waste decomposition in landfills.
The biofuel plant, which is due to start operations towards the end of 2011, will create more than 180 direct and indirect jobs during the operations, construction and engineering phases.
Enerkem president and CEO Vincent Chornet said that this groundbreaking marks the launch of a transformative project and leads the first wave of commercial-scale advanced biofuels plants in North America.
“This plant is the genesis of a world transformation where our non-recyclable garbage will power the vehicles we drive and reduce carbon emissions,” Chornet said.
