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Québec invests $1.15M in support of biomass projects

The Quebec government recently announced a three-year, $1.15-million grant to the Consortium de recherche et innovations en bioprocédés industriels au Québec (CRIBIQ) to promote innovation and pre-commercialization in the supply and conditioning of forest biomass for bioenergy production.

The CRIBIQ is an industrial research cluster serving over 22,000 companies and more than 40 public research institutes in Quebec. As a non-profit organization funded mainly by the Quebec government, CRIBIQ supports and promotes innovative projects in the industrial sectors of the bioeconomy – agrifood, industrial bioproducts and the environment. The announcement was made by Maïté Blanchette Vézina, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and Minister responsible for the Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine regions, and Benoit Charette, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks and Minister responsible for the Laurentians.

”Thanks to this grant and the CRIBIQ‘s expertise, new innovative collaborative research projects will be able to see the light of day,” Vézina stated. “The conversion of forest biomass into energy strengthens the contribution of the forest industry and plays a crucial role in the pursuit of Quebec’s goal of carbon neutrality. I thank the Consortium for its vision of the future, and invite interested forest industry players to submit their projects.”

On May 21, thanks to this financial support, the CRIBIQ launched a call for projects aimed at providing financial backing for industrial projects that use forest biomass to produce bioenergy. Financial assistance is available for up to $200,000 per project.

“Quebec has a large amount of forest biomass, which enables it to produce bioenergy for a variety of applications. This call for projects fits in perfectly with our government’s vision, which is to focus on innovation to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” Charette stated.

The initiative will directly stimulate innovation in the forest biomass bioenergy sector, which, along with other energy sources, will contribute to the government’s objective of reducing Quebec’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 37.5% by 2030, compared with the 1990 baseline year. Other targets could also be achieved, such as reducing Quebec’s consumption of petroleum products by 40%, increasing renewable energy production by 25% and promoting bioenergy by increasing its production by 50%.

“The Ministry’s grant will support innovative industrial projects aimed at optimizing the supply and conditioning of forest biomass for bioenergy production. Funded projects will receive grants for research and development (R&D) activities, feasibility studies and technology demonstrators. Projects submitted will be evaluated on the basis of their potential for innovation, their economic viability and their structuring potential for the Quebec forest industry,” stated Mohammed Benyagoub, president and CEO for CRIBIQ.