Enerkem to retire its Edmonton biofuels facility

Photo: Enerkem

Enerkem announced Jan. 30 that it will be retiring its Enerkem Alberta Biofuels plant in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The EAB facility achieved its main objective of completing the commercial scale up of Enerkem’s industry-leading technology.

With more than 15,000 hours of operation producing ethanol and methanol (certified under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System “EU” and “Plus” designations), the plant facilitated the validation by strategic industry players and other third parties of Enerkem’s innovative waste-to-biofuels platform.

It also allowed Enerkem to attract global partners and investors while developing a world-class team with expertise in design and deployment of advanced gasification technology.

With those objectives achieved and factoring in the current market and domestic regulatory conditions, Enerkem has made the decision to retire the EAB plant.

Thanks to the learnings acquired at EAB, Enerkem, with the support of its strategic investors, will continue to focus on the global deployment and commercialization of its technology.

The Enerkem technology demonstrated in Edmonton will continue to play an important role in diverting waste from landfills and incineration and assisting decarbonization efforts in Canada and around the world.

“Enerkem would like to acknowledge the dedication and the ingenuity of its team members who made EAB a reality, from its development to its construction and operation,” the company stated.

“Enerkem also wants to recognize the city of Edmonton’s great leadership and vision on supporting EAB from the beginning as an innovative solution for municipal-waste diversion,” Enerkem added.

Founded in 2000, Enerkem develops and commercializes its groundbreaking gasification technology transforming nonrecyclable waste into biofuels, low-carbon fuels and circular chemicals for hard-to-abate sectors, including sustainable aviation and marine fuels.

Its solution tackles both challenges of waste management and dependency on fossil-fuel products while contributing to the development of a circular economy for a sustainable, net-zero-carbon future.