Edmonton to Host Industrial-scale Waste-to-Ethanol Plant
Edmonton will be home to the world's first industrial scale facility to produce biofuels from municipal solid waste, according to a June 26 press release. The city has signed a 25-year agreement with GreenField Ethanol, Canada's largest ethanol producer, and Enerkem, a leading biofuels technology company.
The $70-million biofuels facility will initially produce 36 million liters of biofuels per year and reduce Alberta's carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint by more than 6 million tons over the next 25 years -- the equivalent of removing 12,000 cars off the road every year.
"This facility is another fine example for the world that Alberta is a great place for companies to bring newly commercialized technology to the marketplace," said Doug Horner, minister of Advanced Education and Technology. "All of the partners can be pleased that they are part of a facility that is taking a lead role in developing innovative technologies and making a real difference for the environment."
The city of Edmonton and the government of Alberta through the Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI) are contributing $20 million to the facility. The city also will contribute $50 million to a related processing facility and research facility. AERI's total contribution to all the components is $29 million.
"This unique partnership with private companies and the provincial government builds on our global leadership in municipal waste management," said Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel. "It will enable us to make a noted contribution to reducing greenhouse gases and become the first major city in North America to achieve 90 percent residential waste diversion from landfill. We are also excited to be proceeding with the caliber of this partnership and look forward to seeing this facility on stream in the near future."
"This next generation biofuels facility will offer drivers a new choice in transportation fuels," said Donald Pierce, president of Greenfield Ethanol's Advanced Biofuels Group. "Greenfield is thrilled to be leading in the development of next generation ethanol along with partners Enerkem, the city of Edmonton and the Province of Alberta--world leaders in providing innovative technologies that help build a sustainable future."
This plant is the first to be announced by Greenfield Ethanol and Enerkem since the recent announcement of their partnership to jointly design, build, and operate commercial next generation ethanol plants.