New cutting edge facility in southern Alberta to create jobs, cut emissions by creating biofuel from waste

Source: Austin Lee · CTV NEWS · | July 27, 2021

Source: CTV News

LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. -- The Alberta government is supporting Canary Biofuels, an Alberta-based biofuel producer, with a $4.7M grant through the province's Technology Innovation and Emissions Reductions (TIER) fund.

In total, the facility in Lethbridge County will cost $28.6M and will be capable of producing roughly 70 million litres of renewable fuel each year while cutting more than 220,000 tonnes of emissions.

That reduction in emissions is equivalent to the electricity needed to power 41,000 homes.

Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon said the decision to fund a portion of the facility was not only to help the economy, but also the environment.

"This facility will be the first of its kind in Canada, with its flagship facility right here in Alberta,"

"It will take local agriculture waste, edible animal fats and used cooking oil and turn these into renewable fuel."

The plant plans to purchase more than $375M worth of feedstock from Alberta farmers over the next five years.

For the province's canola producers, having another revenue option is a big deal after years of unstable trade agreements and uncertain crop yields.

"You go back a number of years and we didn't have an option for off-grade canola," said the Chair of the Canadian Canola Growers Association Mike Ammeter.