SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL; TSX:SOY) has signed a joint venture agreement with GreenField Ethanol Inc., formerly known as Commercial Alcohols Inc., a leading Canadian ethanol producer, to develop and implement commercial scale processes for the production of cellulosic ethanol from wood chips, including the planned establishment of one or more commercial scale plants. The first plant is planned to produce 40 million liters (10 million gallons) of cellulosic ethanol per year – it would be the first commercial scale cellulosic ethanol plant built and operational in the world using wood chips.
Greenfield Ethanol and SunOpta are actively looking for a site for the first plant in Ontario or Quebec. Subsequent plants will be in the range of 200 to 400 million liters (50 to 100 million gallons) per year capacity.
The venture will be owned 50% by GreenField and 50% by SunOpta’s BioProcess Group and will use the SunOpta BioProcess Group’s patented process solutions for the production of cellulosic ethanol.
Steve Bromley, President and COO of SunOpta commented, “As previously announced, the SunOpta BioProcess Group is raising $30 million to fund growth projects in cellulosic ethanol. This joint venture is an exciting first step in the use of these funds and we are most pleased to partner with GreenField, combining their world class expertise developing ethanol plants with our world class expertise in biomass pretreatment and cellulosic ethanol technologies.”
The SunOpta BioProcess Group is a leader in the design, construction and optimization of biomass conversion equipment and facilities. The BioProcess Group combines its application expertise with innovative technologies to produce cellulosic ethanol, cellulosic butanol, xylitol, and dietary fiber for human consumption; and is currently supplying equipment and technology to three cellulosic ethanol projects in the U.S., Spain, and China.
GreenField Ethanol produces 215-million litres a year of corn-based ethanol at its two Ontario plants. A third facility in Quebec is slated to open in February 2007 and two more Ontario plants are under construction and will be operational in 2008. GreenField Ethanol will be one of the top producers in North America with five operating plants, producing more than 700-million litres of ethanol per year by 2008.
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