Trois-Rivières, Québec Issued BDO Zone ‘A’ Rating for Woody Biomass

September 14, 2023

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(Bioeconomy Development Opportunity Zone Initiative) Innovation et Développement Economique Trois-Rivières will Leverage ‘A’ Rating to Support Local Forest Industry -- Innovation et Développement économique Trois-Rivières, Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC), and Ecostrat announce issue of Bioeconomy Development Opportunity (BDO) Zone rating for woody biomass.

The Trois-Rivières BDO Zone is rated ‘A’, or “high quality”, based on its resilient forestry and wood industry sectors with a long-standing track record of fiber supply. The Trois-Rivières BDO Zone extends 150 km driving distance from the city and is rated for 475,000 dry metric tons per year of woody biomass. Supply chains within the Zone benefit from a multitude of suppliers and hold the potential to substantially increase currently available biomass, as current utilization stands at only 68%.

The Trois-Rivières BDO Zone is the second BDO Zone rating in the province of Québec for Forest Residues, Pulpwood & Sawmill Residuals. This accomplishment establishes the region as a frontrunner in the bio-based industry and highlights it as an ideal location for new bio-based development projects that rely on stable and long-term supplies of wood fiber.

“World-renowned for its forest-based industry, Trois-Rivières, and the Mauricie region, intend to take advantage of this BDO Zone certification to attract more companies to accelerate the shift to bio-based products,” stated Jean Lamarche, Mayor of Trois-Rivières. “Thanks to our vast sources of renewable biomass and the innovation promoted by our research centers, the Trois-Rivières region is a prime location for accelerating the decarbonization of our industries.”

Jordan Solomon, Chairman of the BDO Zone Initiative, emphasized, “Trois-Rivières’ ‘A’ rating solidifies it as an ideal hub for transformative bio-based development projects within the province of Quebec — and bio-project developers worldwide should pay attention.

The region’s resilient forestry and wood industry sectors, combined with a rated feedstock quantity of close to half a million tons of biomass, solid logistical infrastructure, easy port and rail access, low-cost renewable power, and significant government support for innovation and research, all underscore this latest BDO Zone’s potential for the location of pioneering bio-based solutions.”

Meaghan Seagrave, Executive Director of Bioindustrial Innovation Canada added: “The region of Trois-Rivières is a powerful blend of a highly skilled workforce, a variety of industrial assets, and numerous research and innovation centers. This microcosm encapsulates everything required to support the growth of sustainable technology solutions to positively impact global climate change.

Given the increasing global demand for products that are both green and safer compared to conventional alternatives, there are significant opportunities to create thousands of new jobs and immense economic value for this region by combining its industrial, workforce, and natural resource assets. This ‘A’ rating confirms that Trois-Rivières is central to supporting the decarbonization of industries across Quebec, Canada, and around the globe”.

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

About Trois-Rivières

Founded in 1634, Trois-Rivières is the second oldest city in Quebec and one of the earliest in Canada. Positioned at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and St. Lawrence rivers and recognized as the birthplace of Canadian industrialization, Trois-Rivières stands as the urban center of the region. With over 142,598 residents, it ranks as Quebec’s ninth-largest city and is strategically positioned between Quebec City and Montreal. Its central location, with accessibility through major roadways (including highways 40 and 55 to the U.S.) and year-round maritime, rail, and airport infrastructures, makes Trois-Rivières an exceptionally attractive business location for investors.

Trois-Rivières offers a range of industrial parks with sizes ranging from 31,400 m2 to 7,000 hectares, all zoned for medium and heavy industrial development. The city boasts an extensive natural gas storage and distribution network as well as a robust electrical distribution system to support industrial growth. Additionally, the Port of Trois-Rivières and Port of Becancour, among the largest in Quebec, provide convenient access to international trade routes, handling 3 million metric tons of goods annually. Recent investments of over $132 million have upgraded the Port of Trois-Rivières, enhancing its storage capacity and efficiency, with an additional $40 million allocated for further improvements.

About Innovation et Développement économique (IDÉ) Trois-Rivières

IDÉ Trois-Rivières’ mandate is to support and coordinate economic development throughout the Trois-Rivières region. Their 2020-2025 strategic plan is resolute in ensuring that their actions tangibly contribute to the development of a more sustainable economy, with a particular focus on industrial decarbonization—a central component of their innovation zone, the Energy Transition Valley. In line with these efforts, the Government of Quebec is injecting over $8 million into infrastructure and research projects aimed at propelling the battery sector, advancing transportation electrification, decarbonizing the industrial-port sector, and optimizing the production and utilization of green hydrogen within the industrial supply chain.

For more information about Innovation et Développement économique (IDÉ) Trois-Rivières, visit www.idetr.com. The BDO Zone Local Development Leader (LDL) is David Berthelot, Director – Business Development and Prospecting (dberthelot@idetr.com).

About Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC)

Bioindustrial Innovation Canada is a national not-for-profit business accelerator that provides critical strategic investment, advice, and services to developers of clean, green, and sustainable technologies. BIC has a strong track record of success that extends from coast to coast to coast and across several industries of significant importance to Canada’s green economy.

For more information about Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC), visit www.bincanada.ca or connect directly with Executive Director, Meaghan Seagrave: mseagrave@bincanada.ca; www.linkedin.com/in/meaghanseagrave.

About The BDO Zone Initiative

The BDO Zone Initiative is an economic development platform that enables local communities to deploy powerful economic development tools – BDO Zone Ratings – to drive, accelerate, and catalyze biobased investment and commercial project development in BDO Zones.

A BDO Zone rating is a standards-based technical risk assessment of biomass feedstock, supply chain, and infrastructure attributes of a region with respect to the feasibility and development potential of new biofuel, renewable chemical, biogas, bioproduct, or clean hydrogen plants.

BDO Zone ratings help regions and communities attract new biobased project development and participate in the growing global bioeconomy by demonstrating the maturity of local biomass supply chains and whether or not they are developed enough to support biobased manufacturing without excessive risk.

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.

About Ecostrat

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 which were subsequently used in the development of the CSA W209:21 Biomass supply chain risk National Standard of Canada.

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.

Jordan Solomon can be reached at jordan.solomon@ecostrat.com. For more information about Ecostrat, visit the company’s website at www.ecostrat.com/standards or check out the Ecostrat LinkedIn page for all news and updates. READ MORE