EIA and NextStep Renewable Energy Inc. Sign Historic MOU Supporting Renewable Energy Sector

(Edmonton International Airport) Edmonton International Airport (EIA) and NextStep Renewable Energy Inc. (NSRE) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to bring forward low-carbon, renewable fuels into the aviation and airport sectors, which will generate jobs, economic diversification and economic growth.

“We look forward to working with NSRE as we take the Edmonton Metro Region and Alberta forward in developing biofuels, lowering carbon emissions and generating jobs,” said Tom Ruth, President and CEO of Edmonton International Airport. “This work will support our goal of carbon-neutral growth by 2021 and help establish EIA as a global aviation leader and most importantly, drive research into new biofuel technologies and processes.”

Together, EIA and NSRE will utilize existing, proven, market ready technology for deployment in Alberta to address the void of supply for low-carbon fuels in Canada. This work will focus on building domestic and global relationships that will be a foundation for business growth in Alberta connected to the low-carbon economy.

“NextStep Renewable Energy Inc. is pleased to be working with EIA to develop the support necessary to construct a processing facility in Alberta to produce low carbon jet fuel,” said Bryce Bonneville, President of NextStep. “Our proposed Alberta based processing facility will provide security of supply and create Alberta jobs while using second generation, proven technology to produce high quality drop-in jet fuel and diesel fuel to help Alberta with its low carbon initiatives.”

Earlier this month, EIA took a step forward in the use of renewable resources by participating in Air Canada’s biofuel demonstration flight which coincided with a Trade and Investment Mission to San Francisco, led by Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson and Alberta Economic Development and Trade Minister, Deron Bilous. This biofuel flight reflects a collaborative approach to bringing forward low-carbon, renewable fuels into the aviation and airport sectors.

“The teams at Edmonton International Airport and NextStep Renewable Energy Inc. are making our province proud, and proving that Alberta continues to be the energy and environmental leader the world needs for the 21^st century,” said Deron Bilous, Alberta Economic Development and Trade Minister. “Together we are creating new jobs, diversifying our economy and reducing GHG emissions.”

“Alberta’s strength in energy and biological resources helps position us to become a global leader in renewable transportation fuels,” said Steve MacDonald, CEO of Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), which has a mandate to fund innovations that can reduce greenhouse gases. “Partnerships like these, between industry and innovators, help accelerate the technology required to produce these cleaner energy products right here at home.”

These partnerships are examples of how EIA aligns its energy management and sustainability initiatives with its stakeholders in order to drive new technology implementation. EIA will continue to support the commercialization of new technologies in the energy sector, including the development of renewable energy sources such as biomass, solar power and cogeneration.

As part of the MOU, NSRE becomes the newest member of the Alberta Aerospace and Technology Centre (AATC) at EIA, which focuses on attracting and building a cluster of activity in aerospace and technology at EIA for the benefit of Alberta.

NextStep Renewable Energy Inc. is a developer of Hydrogenation Derived Renewable Jet and Diesel Facilities using state of the art, second generation renewable fuel technology. This process is a simple, safe, reliable, and proven process that is similar to the process traditional petroleum oil refineries have been using throughout the world for over 100 years. It utilizes a combination of heat and hydrogen to convert non – food grade fats, oils and greases into fuel that is chemically equivalent to petroleum-based diesel and jet fuel with better cold weather and storage properties than conventional bio-fuels. The fuels produced through this technology have a lower carbon intensity relative to traditional petroleum equivalents and will help Alberta/Canada achieve its low carbon initiatives.

Alberta Aerospace and Technology Centre (AATC) which formed in June 2015, is the result of a partnership between Edmonton International Airport, Canadian North, Canadian Helicopters, Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC) and the Government of Alberta to build a cluster of activity in aerospace and technology at EIA. Over 37 companies are now part of the Centre.

Edmonton International Airport is a self-funded, not-for-profit corporation whose mandate is to drive economic prosperity for the Edmonton Metro Region. EIA is Canada’s fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic and the largest major Canadian airport by land area. EIA offers non-stop connections to destinations across Canada, the US, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. EIA is a major economic driver, with an economic output of over $3.2 billion, supporting 26,000 jobs. For more information, please visit: flyeia.com, follow @flyeia on Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin or Facebook. READ MORE