The Quebec company Enerkem is closing its only operating plant, that of Edmonton, Alberta, which was to be the first commercial application of its technology for transforming non-recyclable waste into ethanol.
“Having achieved its objectives, Enerkem Alberta Biofuels is beginning closure procedures effective today,” the company said in a statement. Why close a factory whose objectives have been achieved?
This is not a contradiction, assures its first vice-president, technology and marketing, Michel Chornet. “Our goal was to demonstrate our technology on a commercial scale, which we did. »
According to him, the experience gained in Edmonton has enabled two other projects that will use this technology to see the light of day – one in Varennes, Recyclage Carbone Varennes, and the other in Tarragona, Spain. Both projects are in development.
The Edmonton plant, which cost much more than expected and suffered numerous delays, was billed as “the world’s first commercial waste-to-biofuel facility.” It employed 56 people.
Enerkem Alberta Biofuels (EAB), a project in which the City of Edmonton had invested significantly, was to produce 38 million liters of ethanol, a biofuel for which demand is increasing. It has reoriented itself towards the production of methanol for the maritime market and has been in operation for a total of 15,000 hours since 2015, Mr. Chornet said.
The closure of the Alberta plant is also the result of “current market conditions and Canadian regulations,” according to the company founded by Mr. Chornet’s father.
For more than 20 years
Enerkem has pursued the ambition of transforming waste into fuel for more than 20 years. In Varennes, the future factory, which will use green hydrogen as an energy source, is also targeting the maritime market. With Enerkem’s technology, the plant will produce biofuels from non-recyclable waste and residual biomass.
Construction of the Varennes factory has begun and production is expected to begin at the end of 2025, according to company forecasts. Recyclage Carbone Varennes should process 200,000 tonnes of residual materials annually to produce 125 million liters of biofuels per year.
Initially, the Varennes project provided for the construction by Hydro-Québec of an electrolyser to supply the plant with green hydrogen. The state-owned company withdrew from this project, which was announced with great fanfare. Shell, Suncor and Proman are partners in the project, the cost of which is estimated at 1.2 billion. The federal government has already announced a financial contribution of 285 million through the Canada Infrastructure Bank, and the government of Quebec is investing 365 million in the project in different forms.