Results from the wrapped-up biomass estimation study indicates Opasatika has the potential to be “the biomass capital of Canada.” 
An extensive two-year study conducted by Quebec-based Groupe CAF and Feric found that, within a 200-kilometre radius of Opasatika, up to three million green metric tonnes (GMT) is produced annually, though only 1.6 million will be accessible and used every year.
“Everybody thought there was going to be lots, but this shows there was even more than anyone had imagined,” says Paul Nadeau, project manager with the township of Opasatika.
“The government has been looking more and more at green energy, and what better way to move forward on that than pursuing biomass as an energy source?”
Initiated by the township immediately following the closing of the local Tembec mill in 2005, the project required researchers to travel into the nearby Gordon Cosens and Hearst forests to collect, weigh and measure the biomass.
However, much of these statistics are based on the 2005-2006 logging year. As this biomass is produced in the form of bark, branches and cutting residues from forestry operations in the Gordon Cosens and Hearst forests, the available amount may be somewhat lower as various local mill closures may have resulted in less logging.
This material will be used by a series of tenants who are slated to take up residence in the township’s former Tembec Excel mill, which closed its doors in 2005, putting 78 employees out of work. Scarborough-based Gilead Power Corp. and Fabrication Ecoflamme Inc. from Témiscaming, Que. have both indicated an interest in building a10 megawatt (MW) energy generation facilities on site. In total, 200 jobs are expected to be created across the various tenants.
In fact, these numbers mean the city still has some leeway to look for additional tenants, as the study indicated that 400,000 tonnes of biomass can be used to power a 40 MW co-generation facility.
Other parties have begun to show interest in the project. London-based EverGreen Energy Corp. is now in talks with the township to consider building a co-generation plant of its own.
Now that the information has been completed, these firms will begin their due diligence by factoring the statistics into their pricing plans for the Opasatika site.
Once this work has been completed and companies fully commit to building local facilities, township officials will finalize the purchase of the mill from Tembec "almost immediately,” Nadeau says.
Much of the project revolves around Produits Forestiers Cyclofor, based out of La Sarre, Quebec. As the anchor tenant, Cyclofor will collect the biomass and convert it into forms used by the other firms.
If private investors approve the financing plan once it has been developed, the mill may well be up and running by the end of 2008, according to Patrick Paiement, forestry development coordinator for Cyclofor.
In preparation, the company has been developing new economical proprietary.
The company’s motorized RC-3 device collects wood residue from felled trees, be it from roadside operations or in the patch, and uses hydraulics to compress it into easily transportable form. Tests have been ongoing in Opasatika and La Sarre, and results have shown that the device is capable of collecting roughly 16 GMT per hour.
While this may be comparable to similar machines, the device uses nearly four times less machinery to perform the same task. This means it is more maneuverable and uses considerably less fuel, making it much more financially efficient, Paiement says.
The company is also developing a new debarker to prepare wood as small as four centimetres in diametre, much smaller than what can be done with most industrial machinery, Paiement says.
These technological advances may mean Cyclofor will be able to collect even more biomass than initially projected in the study, making Opasatika a strongly attractive prospect.
Paiement says Cyclofor eventually hopes to be able to convert some of the biomass into various natural oils, potentially attracting pharmaceutical research firms to the area.
