Grande Prairie EcoPower^® Centre

Grande Prairie EcoPower^® Centre Brochure and Schematic

Aerial View of Grande Prairie EcoPower® Centre

After five years of intensive planning and construction, the Grande Prairie EcoPower^® Centre is now fully operational. The official groundbreaking ceremony occurred September 30, 2003 in Grande Prairie. Many partners worked together to make this $65 million renewable energy project a reality, including the City of Grande Prairie, the Government of Alberta and Canfor Corporation.

The new Grande Prairie EcoPower^® Centre uses wood waste to generate both electricity and steam for use in the Canfor sawmill in Grande Prairie. The Government of Alberta,   through   Alberta Infrastructure,   purchases   60 per   cent,   or 110,000  megawatts  per  year,  of  the  green  power  generated  from   this facility for 20 years. The City of Grande Prairie has also supported this project by committing to a long term purchase of electricity.

The EcoPower^® Centre will cut particulate emissions from the mill by over 80 per cent, through the retirement of the existing silo burner. Canfor will be able to eliminate the combustion of over 300,000 Giga Joules of natural gas when steam from the EcoPower^® Centre is supplied to the lumber drying kilns, creating a direct reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the of greenhouse gas emissions from other fossil-fueled power resources  will  be indirectly  displaced  by  the  operation of this facility.

This is the first new biomass plant of its kind built in Alberta in almost nine years. In the province, there are now 37 megawatts being produced in two similar biomass facilities. The Grande Prairie EcoPower^® Centre adds 25 megawatts to the mix, which is a significant amount. The EcoPower^® Centre will generate enough electricity to provide power to approximately 21,000 households. Biomass is a significant untapped Canadian resource for the renewable energy industry. Similar projects can be constructed next to every sawmill in Canada.

In terms of local impact in Grande Prairie, more than 20 new permanent jobs will be created at the EcoPower^® Centre; long term stable energy prices will improve the competitiveness of the Canfor mill; and, a significant new municipal tax base will be created for the City of Grande Prairie. Most important of all, local citizens will notice an improvement in the air quality now that the EcoPower^® Centre has become operational.

The Grande Prairie sawmill is owned and operated by Canfor Corporation. The Grande Prairie EcoPower^® Centre sits on approximately nine acres of land adjacent to the Canfor sawmill and is owned and operated by Canadian Gas and Electric Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian Hydro.