LETHBRIDGE COUNTY, AB – Nearly $5 million in provincial funding has been earmarked for a new facility in Lethbridge County.
A first of its kind in Canada, the operation will turn local agricultural waste, inedible animal fats and used cooking oil into bio diesel fuel and glycerin.
The Canary Biofuels facility is expected to buy more than $375 million of local feedstock from farmers over the next five years, generating about $500 million in revenue and supporting up to 130 local jobs in fields like engineering, construction and transportation.
The total cost of the project is pegged at $28.6 million.
The province’s portion of $4.7 million comes from the TIER fund through Emissions Reduction Alberta.
The facility will also reportedly cut 224,000 tonnes of emissions each year – the same the same as reducing emissions from the electricity used by 41,000 homes.
Alberta’s Environment Minister Jason Nixon was on hand Tuesday to make the announcement.
He says “Alberta is home to world-renowned expertise on cutting agricultural emissions, and the Canary Biofuels facility is another world-class project Alberta’s government is supporting to diversify the economy and create jobs. I’m pleased to see the expansion of another groundbreaking Alberta-based technology that is cutting emissions and getting Albertans back to work.”
The new Canary Biofuels facility should be up and running by this fall.