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VICTORIA – An economic
development agreement signed with four Secwepemc First Nations will assist the
harvest of mountain pine beetle timber and support the construction of a wood
pellet plant near Kamloops, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced
today.
“This agreement hits three important objectives –
salvaging value from beetle-killed timber, addressing climate change through
bioenergy production, and helping First Nations benefit from our forest
resource,” said Bell. “By working together, and capitalizing on our biomass
reserve, we’re creating enduring economic benefits for British Columbia.”
The agreement allows the Whispering Pines/ Clinton Indian
Band, High Bar Indian Band, the Shuswap Indian Band and Little Shuswap Indian
Band to apply for up to three million cubic metres of timber over 15 years to
support the estimated $20-million wood pellet project. The bands’ joint
company, Pelltiq’t Energy Group Ltd., is currently working to secure
construction, operating and harvesting partnerships, as well as a plant site.
The facility is expected to be running by the end of 2010, creating an
estimated 35 new jobs at the plant and another 30 in the forest.
“This
agreement is the culmination of a lot of hard work and investment in training
and educating our people to become full participants in the forest sector,”
said Michael LeBourdais, chief of the Whispering Pines/Clinton Indian Band and
spokesperson for the project. “But the benefits won’t be restricted to First
Nations. This project is intended to contribute to the broader Kamloops and
B.C. economy as well.”
Once the plant is running at full capacity, it will
consume a minimum of 300,000 cubic metres of fibre annually, with targeted
production of 175,000 tonnes of wood pellets.
When used for pellets and other energy production,
biomass is considered carbon-neutral because it releases no more carbon into
the atmosphere than it absorbs during its lifetime.
Supporting the development of new bioenergy opportunities
is a key step in the BC Bioenergy Strategy. For more information on the
strategy, or to download a copy, visit www.energyplan.gov.bc.ca/bioenergy.
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Public Affairs Officer 250 387-4592 |
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