Expander Energy selects Plug Power to help convert forestry waste into SAF in Canada

Expander Energy Inc. announced July 7 that it has selected Plug Power Inc. as its strategic electrolyzer technology partner for the proposed Mackenzie Biofuel Project, a first-of-its-kind clean-fuels facility in British Columbia, Canada, designed to convert forestry waste into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable diesel and other low-carbon fuels.

The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to integrate Plug’s GenEco™ PEM electrolyzer technology into Expander’s proprietary biomass-electrolysis-to-liquids (BETL®) process.

The collaboration will support development of the hydrogen and oxygen production systems required for the project and advance engineering efforts toward commercial deployment.

Located in Mackenzie, British Columbia, the proposed facility aims to transform forestry wood waste into low-carbon transportation fuels, creating value from regional resources while supporting Canada’s decarbonization and energy-security objectives.

The project is first on many renewable fuel projects identified by Expander and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and supported by Natural Resources Canada through the Clean Fuels Fund program.

BETL® is an innovative fuel production process jointly developed by Expander and CNL that combines biomass conversion and electrolysis technologies to produce low-carbon biosynthetic fuels.

Because the carbon used in the process originates from biomass rather than fossil sources, the resulting fuels are expected to achieve significantly lower lifecycle-carbon emissions than conventional petroleum-based alternatives.

If developed as planned, the Mackenzie biofuel project could convert approximately 84,000 dry metric tons of forestry biomass annually into up to 30 million liters (7.93 million gallons) of renewable fuels, including renewable diesel, renewable naphtha, biowax and SAF.

The facility is expected to avoid up to 90,000 tons of carbon-dioxide emissions annually while helping address growing demand for cleaner transportation fuels.

Expander is also evaluating opportunities to expand production capacity over time.

A larger-scale buildout at the Mackenzie biofuel project could process up to 336,000 dry tons of biomass annually, producing as much as 120 million liters (31.7 million gallons) of renewable fuels and avoiding up to 360,000 tons of carbon-dioxide emissions per year.

Growing demand for SAF presents a significant market opportunity for the project.

Expander is currently working with strategic aviation industry partners to evaluate demand for an initial 18 million liters (4.76 million gallons) of SAF annually, with future expansion potential of up to 72 million liters (19 million gallons) per year.

The collaboration combines Expander’s proprietary BETL® technology with Plug’s proven electrolyzer platform to advance a scalable pathway for producing low-carbon fuels from Canada’s abundant forestry resources and further strengthen the country’s emerging clean-fuels industry.