To establish itself in Quebec, the Danish biomethanation giant Nature Energy plans to build and operate ten biogas plants that will total nearly a billion dollars in investment. In addition to its Farnham and Louiseville projects, the company has multiplied in recent months steps to settle in Beauce, Estrie and near Quebec City, learned The duty.
The Danish company recently initiated steps with the city of Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce to acquire land located in an industrial district of the municipality in order to build a biogas plant there.
This would make it possible to produce biomethane on a very large scale from organic matter, including pig and cattle slurry as well as forest residues. The production could supply the Quebec gas network and provide thousands of tonnes of digestate that can replace chemical fertilizers used in agriculture.
The management of Nature Energy refused to grant an interview on this subject. By email, however, the company writes that it plans to “build and operate ten biogas plants” in Quebec, and the investments for each of them would be around $100 million. Over the next few years, therefore, close to a billion dollars could be injected into these facilities.
“Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce is an area of interest, confirmed the company to the To have to. We are actively looking for a site that could meet our needs and fit perfectly into the immediate environment, but we are not ready to make an announcement yet. »
Nature Energy points out that the size and production of the facility would be similar to other projects. As an indication, the only confirmed project, that of Farnham — valued at $100 million — in Estrie, should enable the company to transform 600,000 tonnes of organic waste annually to produce 20 million cubic meters of biomethane, l equivalent to what is needed to heat nearly 15,000 homes.
In Beauce, farmers would be partners in the initiative, as in other Nature Energy projects. “Typically, in our other factories, farmers own about 10-20% [de la participation] “Explained in March, in an email, Hans Henrik Dahl Andersen, head of business development in North America for Nature Energy.
According to our information, the company is seriously considering the possibility of settling in the Quebec region. The municipality of Pont-Rouge would have been considered before being ruled out. In Estrie, steps have been taken with the municipality of Waterloo.
Favorable political context
Very active, Nature Energy has created at least three companies in Quebec in the last six months, according to the business register. They would be intended for as many projects.
Founded in 2015, the company quickly carved out a place for itself in Europe. To do this, she relied on the fact that Denmark has one of the highest livestock densities in the world. There are more than 13 million pigs there for 5.8 million citizens; in Quebec, about 7 million pigs are raised for a population of nearly 8.5 million.
The steps of the company take place while Quebec is more interested in the bioenergy sector. In its Hydrogen and Bioenergy Strategy, published last week, the government is focusing its investments in bioenergy: by 2026, approximately $950 million should be injected into it.
Is the company hoping for financial assistance from Quebec? “Our technology is innovative and proven, and we are rapidly achieving greenhouse gas reduction results. We believe that our projects meet all the criteria established by the Quebec strategy,” replies Nature Energy.