What is the Process Used?
The First Nations-owned Meadow Lake Tribal Council Bioenergy Centre will generate carbon-neutral green power using wood waste that is currently burnt up in a beehive burner. The existing 50 year old burner releases ash and smoke into the atmosphere.
With the new process the wood waste will be transported out of the NorSask Forest Products sawmill to a state of the art cogeneration facility on site that will use the latest technology to burn the wood waste consisting of bark, sawdust and trim ends, to heat thermal oil which will turn a generator to produce electricity that will be fed into the SaskPower grid for use by residents of Saskatchewan
Why do this?
It will be the first plant of its kind in Saskatchewan and is expected to produce 6.6 megawatts of baseload electricity to power approximately 5,000 homes with greener energy. Revenues from the plant will also support essential programs and services including child and family services, education, and health and youth development for the nine member-First Nations comprising the Meadow Lake Tribal Council. The project is expected to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1 million tonnes over 25 years, and reduce smoke and other harmful matter to significantly improve air quality for residents.
