California-based MEMS USA Inc. is now building a biomass-to-fuel-ethanol conversion plant for its Canadian subsidiary Hearst Ethanol One (HEO) in Northern Ontario. The plant is targeted to produce 59.9 million gallons of fuel-grade ethanol per year.
The HEO ethanol production plant already has at least 1.5 million long tons of biomass – roughly a three-year supply of raw material – with enough biomass in place within an 18-mile radius of the site to feed the plant at maximum operating capacity for at least 15 years, according to MEMS.
MEMS said its plan is to stockpile and consume forestry product and lumber milling waste produced by industries to produce “biorenewable” fuels. The fuels will cost 80 cents per gallon due to Canadian Federal and Ontario Provincial tax incentives, the company said. Ontario has already enacted laws requiring that all of the motor gasoline sold in the Province must contain 10% ethanol by the year 2010.
