McGuinty Government Re-Energizing Northern Forestry Sector
Creating Jobs And Clean Energy In Atikokan
January 31, 2011
Atikokan Renewable Fuels has accepted one of the Province’s first new wood supply offers. They will produce wood pellets for domestic and international customers, which can be used to create heating and electricity. This will create up to 95 jobs, help sustain other jobs in the forestry sector and support the local economy.
In addition, with support from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), the company plans to convert an industrial site into a mill that will produce the wood pellets.
The wood supply competition is about putting Ontario’s unused wood to work while the government takes steps to introduce a new forest tenure and licensing system. Helping build a stronger forest industry is an important part of the Open Ontario plan to create jobs and opportunities in Northern Ontario.
QUICK FACTS
- Atikokan Renewable Fuels has accepted a wood supply offer of 179,400 cubic metres per year of poplar and birch fibre. This is in addition to an existing offer of 100,000 cubic metres per year.
- Ontario is investing $1 million in the plant conversion through the NOHFC’s Enterprises North Job Creation Program and $250,000 toward converting the plant’s existing natural gas heating system to wood fibre-based heat through the Northern Energy Program.
- Ontario received 115 submissions in March under the provincial wood supply competition from existing and new forest companies interested in using provincially owned wood and investing in the province.
- The Province is converting the Atikokan Generating Station from dirty coal-fired generation to biomass by the end of 2014.
