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Cogeneration plant opens in Hornepayne

The Olav Haavaldsrud Timber Company has opened a 10-megawatt cogeneration plant in Hornepayne .

The Olav Haavaldsrud Timber Company has opened a 10-megawatt cogeneration plant in Hornepayne.

The $66-million Becker Cogeneration Plant will use sawmill wood byproducts to generate electricity for the provincial power grid and produce heat for nearby sawmill and kiln operations. The new Becker plant will consume 175,000 to 200,000 tonnes of sawmill wood byproducts annually.

Close to existing lumber-manufacturing facilities, the plant will create 20 new jobs, save 100 existing jobs at a nearby mill, and support an estimated 40 indirect jobs in collection forest biofibre.

Haavaldsrud is receiving a conditional grant of $11.867 million through the Forest Sector Prosperity Fund, a $17.8-million loan guarantee through the Forest Sector Loan Guarantee Program, and $1 million from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp.

“This new plant will not only have economic rewards to the community of Hornepayne, but will also change the landscape of the forest industry,” Becker president Carlo Bin said in a release. “We would like to thank the Ministry of Natural Resources for its commitment and dedication to this project and thank the province for its financial support.”

Olav Haavaldsrud Timber Company is the second largest employer in the community.