Protocol Biomass looks to Prescott for new plant build

Toronto-based renewable energy company, Protocol Biomass, has proposed building a wood pellet manufacturing plant in Prescott, Canada. In reaction to a growing European market, the facility would create a possible 50 new jobs, with expectations of doubling the workforce within five years.

‘European and UK markets are well defined [and] the Prescott area is ideally suited for a pellet facility,’ says Protocol Biomass CEO Thomas Logan.

The closure of several pulp and paper mills in the area has left an abundant and underused wood supply, making the 45 acre site an attractive place for a new plant.

Logan suggests the construction of the plant would take up to nine months which would then be followed by a couple of months for the operation to gain momentum.

Opening up the forestry industry from northern New York to Renfrew, the facility would theoretically provide 500,000 tonnes of wood fibre each year, which equates to 250,000 tonnes of pellets.

The company was incorporated in 2010 but has links with Protocol Energy International, which has been in the field since 2003.

Currently in discussions with different European and UK entities, Protocol Biomass intends to establish a supply contract with one primary partner.