Welcome to the Wood Pellet Association of Canada’s Winter 2025 newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading it and we welcome your feedback.
THE HEADLINES
In November 2024, I was part of an Alberta forest industry Trade Mission to Japan led by the Honourable Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry and Parks. Participants included Alberta ministry officials and wood products manufacturers, as well as Canada Wood and the Alberta Forest Products Association. The mission’s focus was to strengthen partnerships and showcase Alberta as a trusted supplier of wood products.
It was a busy ten days that included the annual Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC) customer appreciation dinner, Canada Wood’s Wood Forum, the BC Council of Forest Industries 50th Anniversary Reception, a press conference and media interviews, and meetings with Japanese government officials.
Japan is the fastest-growing import market in the world for wood pellets, driven by the government’s policy initiatives to mitigate pollution from coal and supported by a long-term feed-in-tariff (FIT) for biomass energy. The country aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero to make Japan a carbon-neutral, decarbonized society by 2050 and aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent by 2030. Canadian wood pellets are part of the solution for Japan.
In 2024, the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC), in partnership with BioPower Sustainable Energy Corporation (BioPower), conducted a comprehensive analysis of the feasibility and economic implications of using an in-woods grinder to process forest biomass so it can be used for wood pellets. BioPower, a Canadian manufacturer of commercial and residential grade wood pellets, carried out all the field tests at its operations in Northern Ontario near Atikokan, including the collection and analysis of feedstock samples, pelletization, and data collection. Its expertise and hands-on involvement helped to validate the economic and technical feasibility of using forest biomass for wood pellet production.
In November 2024, Dr. Fahimeh Yazdan Panah, WPAC’s Director of Research and Technical Development, participated in the Bioenergy Europe’s European Bioenergy Future Conference in Brussels, Belgium.
The Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC) recently partnered with the Arctic Energy Alliance (AEA) to produce 2025 Northwest Territories Biomass Week, a five-day event designed to help pellet producers, equipment manufacturers, installers, regulators, researchers, academia, governments and others to learn more about how biomass is transforming the way we think about energy, especially in Canada’s North.
More than 300 attendees participated in sessions that included the advantages of biomass, case studies, district heating, biomass supporting forest health, combined heat & power (CHP), bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and biomass innovation.
The Northwest Territories is not part of North America’s electricity grid. Instead, this vast area operates on a remote electrical system using diesel fuel, hydro resources and natural gas. There is rising interest within the Northwest Territories to adopt biomass CHP, especially in remote communities, to get away from the high cost and GHG emissions associated with diesel. Also known as cogeneration, biomass CHP is the simultaneous generation of useful heat and electricity from a single plant using wood chips or pellets as the fuel source. Despite its promise, CHP has yet to make a meaningful impact in the Northwest Territories.
Broadly speaking, there are two categories of biomass CHP: combustion-based systems and gasification systems.
Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is increasingly making headlines. In January, I provided an overview of BECCS at the Arctic Energy Alliance 2025 Northwest Territories Biomass Week.
What is BECCS?
BECCS is a technology that combines bioenergy production (using biomass as fuel) with carbon capture and permanent storage. It captures biogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the flue gas produced during biomass combustion or processing and stores it underground, preventing its release into the atmosphere. It is a nature-based solution that creates permanent carbon dioxide removal (CDR), resulting in negative emissions.
Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. News Release
Williams Lake, B.C. – Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. (CCR), a joint venture between Tŝideldel First Nation and Tl’etinqox Government, has just released the final video in their five-part forestry series showcasing the transformational forest rehabilitation efforts of their large-scale projects, and how First Nations are taking the lead in forestry to realize economic, social, cultural, and environmental benefits.
Forest Enhancement Society of BC News Release
Fort St. James, B.C. – With funding from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), uneconomic residual fibre is being delivered from locations farther from town to BioNorth Energy, a joint venture partnership between Arrow Group of Companies (Arrow), the Nak’azdli Development Corporation (NDC), the economic development arm of the Nak’azdli First Nation, and low-carbon infrastructure developer, Nexus PMG. The project, which began in the fall of 2023 after an intense wildfire season, will finalize this winter, helping reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere while also generating economic and social benefits for the community of Fort St. James.
SAFETY FIRST FOCUS
I can’t believe it has been over a decade since the Wood Pellet Association of Canada’s (WPAC’s) Safety Committee was established. Our initial focus was combustible dust in response to tragic sawmill explosions in British Columbia. Over the years, activities have expanded to all health and safety matters.
The committee’s mission is “to improve the wood pellet industry’s collective safety performance, earn a reputation with regulatory authorities and the public as an industry that is highly effective at managing safety, and learn and share best practices regarding safety.”
As we enter 2025, I want to reflect on a few past successes and share our Work Plan for the year.
Read the full story.
Congratulations to Brian Penney, Safety Manager at Drax’s Entwistle facility in Alberta, the latest Wood Pellet Association of Canada Safety Hero. Brian’s outstanding contributions have made the workplace safer and better for his colleagues.
Brian continuously meets monthly safety objectives and supports the facility’s 55 employees to ensure objectives are met. An example of his dedication was putting in extra time and energy during an 11-day shutdown to see to it that everyone went home safely at the end of every day.
Learn more about Brian.
UPCOMING EVENTS / TRAINING
Dr. Fahimeh Yazdan Panah, Director of Research and Technical Development with WPAC, will be giving this webinar, which will explore how Near-Infrared (NIR) technology, enhanced by AI, can revolutionize biomass feedstock sorting for the wood pellet industry. It addresses key challenges such as inconsistencies in moisture content, particle size, chemical composition, and contamination, which impact product quality and efficiency.
The 2025 Argus Biomass Conference returns to the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in the heart of Central London on 1-3 April 2025 for the largest global gathering of biomass leaders. Join 450+ international peers to explore new innovations in the pellet market, new industrial applications of biomass including biochar and biocarbon in the steel, cement and aluminium industries, SAF and agribiomass, and identify new procurement opportunities.
Wood Pellet Association of Canada members qualify for a 10% discount on the standard conference pass rate.
Quality managers of ENplus® certified companies can now receive online training in English and French.
Two different courses are offered:
- Certified producers
- Certified traders
Updated to reflect the changes introduced with the new documentation published in October 2022, the content includes a quiz at the end of each module.
Learn more and register here.
The Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC, the nonprofit health and safety association for the sector, is holding a series of health and safety conferences to Make It Safe across British Columbia.
- March 13 – Nanaimo
- April 10 – Kelowna
- May 7 – Prince George
To learn more, visit Make It Safe.