Coronach, Saskatchewan issued BDO Zone ‘A’ Rating for Flax Straw

(Bioeconomy Development Opportunity Zone Initiative) A’ RATING FOR LOCAL FLAX STRAW TO AID IN COAL TRANSITION AND EXPECTED TO DRIVE NEW BIOBASED MARKET DEVELOPMENT–

The Town of Coronach, the RM of Hart Butte and Ecostrat are pleased to announce the issuance of a new Bioeconomy Development Opportunity (BDO) Zone designation for flax straw.

‘AA’ and ‘A’ BDO Zone ratings identify the areas in the country which are best positioned for low-risk bioeconomy project development. Coronach’s ‘A’ Rating is expected to drive new market development for bioeconomy projects that can utilize the region’s 55,000 oven-dried tons per year of available flax straw.

The Coronach BDO Zone is rated ‘A’, or low risk, based on numerous positive indicators such as a strong surplus of project available biomass, limited competing markets, and a high grower participation rate. The ‘A’ Rating issue indicates that Coronach merits strong consideration as a location for new bio-based project development that requires stable, long-term supplies of flax straw.

“Coronach is a rural community that is being heavily impacted by the federally mandated transition away from coal-generated power. As we navigate through these uncertain times, we are exploring all possibilities to diversify and sustain our economy, and the BDO Zone Initiative allowed us to explore the possibility of flax biomass. We want to make it easy and attractive to new businesses to invest in our area and through this process, we have done the due diligence for investors to provide them with third-party information and confidence to invest in Coronach” says Kelsey Manske, Coronach Community Development Officer.

The BDO Zone extends a 140-km drive distance from Coronach and is centred around the Town, an optimal location for incoming biobased projects.

“We commend Coronach’s vision and dedication to leveraging flax straw as a renewable resource in the clean energy sector,” said Jordan Solomon, Chairman of the BDO Zone Initiative. “With an ‘A’ Rating, Coronach has undergone rigorous due diligence and possesses the necessary infrastructure, biomass supply, and local community support to attract new biobased manufacturing plants and create jobs. This rating is a compelling signal to global investors of Coronach’s sustainability and resilience.”

To see the full BDO Zone Rating for Coronach please click here, or visit www.bdozone.org.

Coronach is located within the Rural Municipality of Hart Butte No.11 in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada. Located only 19 kilometers northwest of the Ports of Coronach & Scobey Montana, it is easily accessible to major centers in Saskatchewan, Montana, and North Dakota. Agricultural, mining, and power generation are the major economic drivers for the regional economy. The population within Coronach’s immediate trading area is 2500 people with approximately 875 people in the Town of Coronach & RM of Hart Butte. Infrastructure investment and business attraction are a top priority as the community is continuing to seek new ways of diversifying the local economy.

For more information about the Town of Coronach, visit www.townofcoronach.ca. To connect directly with the BDO Zone Local Development Leader (LDL), Kelsey Manske, (Community Development Officer – Town of Coronach) please email coronach.edc@gmail.com.

The BDO Zone Initiative is an economic development platform that enables local communities to deploy powerful economic development tools – BDO Zone Ratings – to achieve the goal of driving, accelerating, and catalyzing biobased investment and commercial project development in BDO Zone-designated regions for new biofuel, renewable chemical, biogas, and bioproduct plants. BDO Zone Ratings do this by carrying out credible technical evaluations on feedstock and infrastructure risk and then enabling communities to effectively signal and promote key feedstock and infrastructure “success” characteristics valued by biobased developers and investors around the world.

‘AA’ or ‘A’ rated BDO Zones identify the best areas for low-risk bioeconomy project development. BDO Zone Ratings enable distressed communities to add capacity to support the deployment of innovative technology and infrastructure, and this drives regional economic development to areas where poverty has been persistent for generations, harnessing natural resources to support biobased manufacturing and renewable energy production.

BDO Zones have the ability to move the needle on job creation, decarbonization, and social justice. By achieving the goal of 100 BDO Zones in four years across Canada, this Initiative has the potential to create more than 160,000 clean jobs, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2%, and provide over $1.48B annually in direct and indirect economic benefits.

For more information on the BDO Zone Initiative, please contact info@bdozone.org. To view all current and upcoming BDO Zone designations, visit www.bdozone.org or check out the BDO Zone LinkedIn page for all news and updates.

Ecostrat is the North American Leader in supplying biomass due diligence for biofuels, renewable chemicals, biogas, and bio-product project development and finance. Ecostrat led the USDOE/BETO funded project to develop the new investment Standards and Ratings for Biomass Supply Chain Risk.

The Advisory Group combines the BSCR Standards with powerful predictive analytics to understand and minimize supply chain risk. The Biomass Supply Group has 25 years of experience in sourcing and supplying more than 5 million tons of biomass feedstock for bioenergy, biofuel, and biochemical projects across North America.

Jordan Solomon is Chairman of the BDO Zone Initiative and President of Ecostrat. He has overseen the development and operation of biomass supply chains for more than 5,000,000 tons of feedstock over two decades for bioenergy, biofuel, and biochemical projects.