Canadian pulp mill to build biomass power plant

In Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada, pulp mill Millar Western Forest Products is planning to construct a biomass-fired power plant.

The new plant, estimated to cost in the region of $35 million (€35.6 million), would be designed to handle the mill's wastewater, converting this into 5.2MW of renewable energy a year.

An anaerobic system is currently installed at the mill to treat the waste matter, however a new anaerobic hybrid digester (AHD) will be able to recapture increased levels of organic material to fuel two engines.

A number of advantages are associated with the AHD, including the removal of more effluent pollutants and the production of less waste sludge.

Alberta was recently awarded $155.9 million from the Canada ecoTrust for Clean Air and Climate Change, $17.5 million of which was invested in the Millar Western Forest Products power plant.