KENSINGTON, P.E.I. — A new biomass fuel production facility proposed for construction in Kensington is garnering a lot of interest from its potential neighbours.
More than 100 people packed into Kensington’s Murray Christian Centre Wednesday evening to find out more about the project. The May 24 open house was part of proponent SustainAgro Ltd.’s environmental approval process.
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Ruth Hunter is one such neighbour and she had plenty of pointed questions about what such a facility could mean for her community – good and bad.
“Being a resident, I was concerned about what it was all about. Interested. Excited. To think that something like that might come to our community – but certainly not without misgivings as far as what it’s all about. So, best way to find out is to come and ask,” said Hunter.
Joachim Stroink, a spokesperson for the SustainAgro,speaking with Kensington resident Ruth Hunter. SustainAgro wants to build a biomass fuel facility in the Kensington IndustrialPark and there was an open house on May 24 to allow the public the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. – Colin MacLean/SaltWire
SustainAgro is proposing to build a facility that will process 40 metric tons of wood chips annually into several marketable products, the primary of which is renewable diesel. Secondary byproducts include biochar and wood vinegar, both used in agriculture, and graphene, which has many uses in various industries.
These products would be created by burning wood in a low-oxygen, closed-loop, environment.
The wood would come from P.E.I.’s own forestry sector and specifically from Dan DuPont’s sustainable forestry business, Working Forests P.E.I.
Joachim Stroink, a spokesperson for the SustainAgro, said the company is aware of the feelings of Islanders towards clear-cutting practices, which many argue has been overused herein the past, and it is unequivocally committed to avoiding contributing to that problem.
A bottle of sustainable diesel fuel o display at SustainAgro’s recent open house in Kensington. – Colin MacLean/SaltWire
“The big component is the management of forests. The (2023) auditor general report from P.E.I. really clearly indicated the management issues that are on the Island. We believe we are part of that solution,” said Stroink.
“It’s about making sure the forests are managed properly and there is absolutely, 100 per cent, no clear-cutting, whatsoever, into our facility.”
DuPont himself said he “disagrees with every fibre of (his) body” with the practice of clear-cutting and wanted to reassure Islanders that if this project moves ahead, it won’t negatively affect what remains of the province’s forests.
“There is a stigma associated with the word ‘biomass.’ Where (people) assume it comes from a clear-cut, which is not true. That’s the way it has been done here for a long time – but tht is not indicative of how biomass is harvested worldwide,” said DuPont.
“I worked in Scandinavia for several years, they don’t lear-cut. They do 30 per cent removals, no matter what and where. Which is a very sustainable way to manage (a forest). They are always looking one or two generations ahead. I will not be clear-cutting to produce biomass.”
Dan DuPont’s sustainable forestry business, Working Forests P.E.I., has been contracted to provide wood biomass to SustainAgro’s proposed sustainable diesel production facility. He and the company guarantee the practice of clear-cutting will have no place in the project. – Colin MacLean/SaltWire
Mayor Rowan Caseley said town council is taking a hard look at SustainAgro’s proposal to determine if it is a good fit for the community. The company is looking to buy lots in the town’s new industrial park for its facility.
“This is just one more step along the way. If It’s as good as they say it is, it’s going to mean good jobs, good for the envronment and everything else. But there’s a lot of unanswered questions we don’t know yet and we’re just continuing to go one morestep at a time,” said Caseley.
Stroink said if the company is successful in its application and negotiations with the town, it hopes to break ground on the facility later this year. Construction would take up to a year and a half. Once completed, the plant would employ between 30 and 50 people full-time on a four-
As for what Ruth Hunter made of the answers she got from SustainAgro – she was cautiously optimistic.
“I’m actually reassured by what I heard. It sounds like they are very keen to come to our community and I like, so far, what I’ve heard in regards to the finished product,” she said. “I hope I can learn all that I can and be more informed.”
Colin MacLean is a reporter with SaltWire in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached by email at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @JournalPMacLean.
