BDO ZoneCONNECT Webinar: Lesser Slave Region & Vegreville, Alberta

BDO ZoneCONNECT Webinar: Lesser Slave Region & Vegreville, Alberta

On January 23, 2024, Ecostrat Inc. and the BDO Zone Initiative, in collaboration with TheDigest, hosted the BDO ZoneCONNECT webinar, highlighting two investment grade BDO Zone communities in Alberta, Canada: Vegreville, rated ‘A’ for Wheat Straw, and the Lesser Slave Region, rated ‘BBB’ for Woody Biomass.

The webinar was moderated by Jim Lane, Editor of TheDigest, and featured key insights from Aryn Garswood, Head of the BDO Zone Initiative. Participants included Bob Bezpalko, Executive Director of the Northeast Alberta Information HUB; Geoff Tauvette, Executive Director of the Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (C-SAF); and key executives from First Indigenous Energy Services Inc.: Melissa Minks, President; Albert Klyne, Chief Operating Officer; and Don Harfield, Chief Technology Officer. The webinar highlighted Alberta’s BDO Zones as attractive investment destinations, showcasing their abundant biomass resources, robust infrastructure, shovel-ready sites, and compelling local incentives for biobased projects seeking a reliable supply of agricultural or woody biomass feedstocks.

BDO ZoneCONNECT, a joint initiative with The Daily Digest, aims to facilitate connections and stimulate development interest within BDO Zone communities. It serves as a catalyst for networking, sharing new BDO Zone ratings, and attracting a diverse global audience of stakeholders, including investors, bio-based project developers, financiers, and community leaders.

To view the webinar, please click below:

Summary of Presenter Remarks

Bob Lima, Project Director, Ecostrat:

• “We looked at the low-risk availability of biomass for this region [Vegreville, AB], in this case wheat straw, with a significant surplus of 455,000 bone-dry tonnes being produced annually.”
• “All the producers I have talked to are inclined to sell and supply their wheat straw to a new bioeconomy project.”

Geoff Tauvette, Executive Director, Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (C-SAF):

• “One of the first things we did at C-SAF is create and produce a road map to meet the industry needs of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) to meet net-zero by 2050.”
• “We think the BDO Zone rating is a great tool for us in terms of advancing sustainable aviation fuel in Canada.”
• “We believe SAF is an economic opportunity for Canada. Not only does it help keep our aviation sector competitive but it helps us build out regional opportunities.”

Bob Bezpalko, Executive Director, Northeast Alberta Information HUB:

• “Vegreville is the center of this BDO Zone and an agricultural hub and wheat is a very stable, consistent crop grown in our region.”
• “We’re served by Canada’s two national railway carriers, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City.”
• “Minburn County has the Cross Roads Industrial Park. They have approximately 1360 acres of greenfield acreage available for industrial development.”
• “The A rating validates the quantity of wheat straw we have available, which is well in excess of 400,000 bone dry metric tons.”

Peter Wolf, Project Director, Ecostrat:

• “The Lesser Slave region refers to the area around the lake by the name of Lesser Slave Lake, located in Central Alberta in the boreal forest.”
• “We have rated 155,000 dry tons of wood fibre available at low-to-moderate risk. About 70% would be coming from woodland operations of the industry in the form of forest residues.”
• “There is weak competition for this waste [saw mill residue and forest residue].”

Melissa Minks, President, First Indigenous Energy Services Inc.:

• “FIND Energy and the Swan River First Nation are collaborating on a flagship bio-energy facility that will be located in the center of the BDO Zone.”
• “This BDO Zone rating is the first Indigenous-led rating in North America. This was a study we wanted to complete to verify the feedstock numbers in the area.”
• “The volume of available feedstock is enough to sustain a 3 megawatt or larger bioenergy facility, which is equivalent to be able to power about 2,400 homes.”
• “The Swan River First Nation area was chosen because of its long history in the forestry industry.”

Originally published at bdozone.org.