Conifex Celebration in Mackenzie
Premier Christy Clark, MLA Mike Morris, and Conifex Power workers celebrated the official opening of the plant – photo submitted
Mackenzie, B.C.- It’s been a project long in the making, but today, Conifex Power, is officially open.
Premier Christy Clark, on hand to help with the ribbon cutting, noted the long road to today’s event “This project took 10 years and it proves it can be done.”
Premier Clark says the beetle wood has to be moved, used and put people to work. She told those on site, she was “Very proud to be in Mackenzie and to celebrate Conifex’s milestone. This project shows the private sector working with government and making things work.”
Conifex Power is a 36 MW biomass power plant and sits beside Conifex Mackenzie Site 1. Conifex CEO Ken Shields says the project was cleverly balanced with BC Hydro and BC Forests. It was 10 years in the making and it was a day to celebrate.
The biomass plant is unique in that it is a combination of existing idled newsprint assets, refurbished assets and new equipment. It is a 36 MW biomass power plant and it uses sawmill residuals that will create additional revenue avenues and contribute stability in regards to long term cash flows for Conifex.
It has created 22 permanent jobs at the plant and 200 jobs over the past 12 months.
The bio mass power plant will certainly help to generate clean energy and help reduce greenhouse gas. The plant will generate 230 GWh annually to the BC Hydro grid or the equivalent of supplying 20,000 British Columbia homes.
MLA Mike Morris says the plant adds diversity to the Mackenzie Forest sector. “It brings new technology and opportunity and it is a sign of things to come.”
Comments
Notice no mention on the power buying contract costs. The power will be much more expensive than what hydro can generate it for. Then they throw in the ghg bs to justify the costs.
This project has been in the works for 10 years. In an article in the Vancouver Sun in May of 2014 they stated that the cost at that point was $75 Million and it would be up and running by the end of Sept 2014. So one year later and off we go. What’s the final cost?
The biomass mill that was built in Williams Lake in the 1980’s generates 68 megawatts as opposed to Conifex’s 36 megawatts. So this type of generation is nothing new.
Kudo’s to the Conifex people for getting it off the ground and generating the 22 permanent jobs, however as mentioned by seamutt how much will we the taxpayers and owners of BC Hydro be paying for this power. That’s the $64 Million dollar question.
Christy Clark doesn’t have a hard hat on, so this means she doesn’t have a brain to protect.
Actually 4 of the 8 people in the picture aren’t wearing hard hats! I suspect that it’s because they probably aren’t in a hard hat required area!
astro, you make a point of picking on Christy Clark, suggesting that she doesn’t have a brain to protect! Funny how someone supposedly without a brain can manage to become Premier of our Province!
So astro, please fill us in as to what you have accomplished, what with your brain and all!
The reason for only some with hard hats is Clark trying to show she understands the common man..
Cariboo Pulp and Paper in Quesnel has a 75 mw.
Wow 22 jobs! Where’s the rest that Clark promised? I have been busting my butt off for 6 months trying to get an apprenticeship. Should have just stayed in Alberta and not moved back.
Not sure how a company that is 6 years old has been working on a project for 10 years, but it’s good to see it up and running and using fibre that was previously being wasted.
They are hauling logging waste to the generating plants instead of simply setting it on fire. Hopefully that will eliminate a lot of the slash burning which has been polluting our breathing air with carcinogenic wood smoke for decades. I do not mind paying a bit more on my hydro bill if it means getting cleaner air to breathe.
People hate to admit it, but wood smoke actually causes cancer and other respiratory diseases.
She will probably spend the same amount as this project cost to do the latest study for a fixed links to the Sunshine Coast .
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