Ontario Grants $11.3 Million to Five Biomass Projects in Northeastern Ontario

Ontario will provide $11.3 million for five projects in the forest sector in northeastern Ontario, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Natural Resources on May 21. The funding comes from the Forest Biomass Program and is directed at projects that use underused wood and mill by-products, described by the government as forest biomass.

The government stated that Indigenous communities may participate in some of these projects. The recipients and the amounts awarded, as outlined by Ontario, are as follows:

• Hornepayne Power Inc. will receive $7.5 million to modernize and upgrade power generation equipment. The province said this is expected to increase regional energy production and support research into on-site green hydrogen production.
• GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. will receive nearly $3 million to upgrade its biomass cogeneration plant. An additional $130,000 will support research into using mill by-products to make torrefied pellets, described as a green alternative to coal by the province.
• Circular Carbon Canada Inc. will receive $500,000 to examine the feasibility of northeastern Ontario sawmills hosting pyrolysis plants. According to the government, these plants would use forest biomass to produce biochar, a material used in power generation, agriculture, and water filtration.
• Wikwemikong Development Commission will receive $200,000 to assist with permitting, contracting, planning, and community engagement for a planned wood pellet and biocoal facility.

According to the government, the Forest Biomass Program invests up to $20 million annually for projects intended to increase wood harvest and develop new uses for wood and wood by-products in collaboration with industry and Indigenous communities.

The Ministry of Natural Resources reports that Ontario’s forest sector generated $22.8 billion in revenue from the sale of manufactured goods and services in 2022, and supported more than 137,000 direct and indirect jobs in 2023.

George Pirie, Member of Provincial Parliament for Timmins, mentioned a Timmins-led feasibility study on biomass and biochar as an example of current projects being supported by the program.