Type of post: NEWS.
Enerkem has announced the construction of a biofuel plant in Varennes with a group of strategic partners (including Hydro-Québec, Proman, Shell and Suncor) and with the support of the Québec and Canadian governments. The plant will leverage green hydrogen and oxygen produced through electrolysis (87-megawatt electrolyzer), transforming Quebec’s excess hydroelectricity capacity into value-added biofuels and renewable chemicals. Related posts:
Figure 1. Varennes Carbon Recycling – Enerkem to construct an advanced biorefinery in Quebec (courtesy of Enerkem)
|
Name of
the project
|
Varennes
Carbon Recycling (VCR).
|
|
Location
|
Varennes
(Greater Montréal area, Quebec, Canada).
|
|
Total
investment
|
CAD$875
million.
|
|
Feedstock
and processing capacity
|
200 ktons
of non-recyclable waste and wood waste.
|
|
Products
and production capacity
|
125
million litres of biofuels.
|
|
Annual
economic benefits for Québec
|
CAD$85
million.
|
|
Contribution
to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction
|
Equivalent
to taking close to 50,000 vehicles off the road annually.
|
|
Employment
effect
|
500 jobs
during construction and about 100 permanent direct skilled jobs during
operations.
|
|
Current status
|
Investment
of CAD$60 million since August 2019 to develop the project, prepare the site
and obtain the required permits.
The
proposed partnership is subject to finalization of commercial agreements.
|
Enerkem’s technology enables the recycling of the carbon and hydrogen contained in non-recyclable waste and wood waste currently landfilled and burned. Enerkem’s proprietary thermochemical process enables the conversion of this carbon into biofuels and renewable chemicals, made from methanol, which is the project’s intermediary product. These products enable society to reduce consumption of traditional hydrocarbons used for transportation and in everyday products (paint, windshield washer fluid, plastics and chemicals of all kinds).
Figure 2. Enerkem technological solution (courtesy of Enerkem)
The proposed Varennes plant will support Québec’s Plan pour une économie verte 2030 (PEV 2030), Québec’s energy policy, and is in line with the government’s desire to pursue the development of a circular economy less dependent on fossil fuel products (40% reduction by 2030). In addition to providing a second life to waste material, it will expand the overall supply of alternative fuels and increase biofuel production in Québec increasing its leadership in renewable energy and innovation.
