Former St. Marys Paper mill in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, eyed for biomass research hub, an idea pushed by a local business group that thinks Canada should follow Europe's example by subsidizing wood energy, taxing fossil fuels
Kendall Sinclair
LOS ANGELES
,
November 9, 2012
(Industry Intelligence Inc.)
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A local business group in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, is pushing to create a biomass research hub at the former St Marys Paper Corp. mill, which is now owned by developer Willem Galle, reported CBC News on Nov. 8.
The challenge is not technical but economic, said Jason Naccarato, spokesperson for the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Center, noting that Canada should follow Europe’s example by subsidizing wood energy and taxing fossil fuels.
Building what some local people have called a “smart energy park and biotechnology research center” at the former mill site is the goal for Galle, who owns Riversedge Developments Inc. in Woodstock, Ontario, CBC News reported.
In ongoing discussions with industry stakeholders, noting is being ruled out in plans for developing the site, said Galle. Riversedge develops Brownfield projects and originated as a metals trading and recovery company in 2004, according to its website.
Although interest in seeing a biomass research park at the mill site has grown, building a business case based on biomass energy has been difficult in the past. Biomass schemes previously pushed for former mill sites have not been realized, reported CBC News.
The primary source of this article is CBC News, Toronto, Ontario, on Nov. 8, 2012.
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