Premium Pellet
Premium Pellet Ltd. used support from the Softwood (SICEAI) funding program to expand their Vanderhoof operation to be the largest in the world (at the time).
This project helped British Columbia and Canada to be establish world leadership in the production of high quality, renewable energy. The expansion helped Canada in its commitments to reduce green house gas (gHg) emissions, and by reducing energy waste in beehive burners.
The plant has successfully operated and produced wood pellets for local and European markets for several years. In the summer of 2003, the directors of Premium Pellet Ltd. decided to make design changes that would accommodate the use of bark as a source of fibre drying energy and steam generation for pellet production and fire protection.
These design changes allow the pellet plant to use bark in the production of pellets and will eventually lead to the ability to utilize the entire wood waste stream at the local sawmills, allowing for the eventual shutdown of their Beehive Burners.
The goals of this project were to:
- create skilled jobs;
- reduce waste energy from beehive burners;
- reduce dependency on fossil fuels;
- create of greater capacity to meet contract demands from overseas markets;
- develop higher quality products; and
- lower costs of production.
This project, initiated by local people and a local company, is an innovative example of a successful local response to the changing economy. Premium Pellet has harnessed the winds of change to create innovation and benefit for businesses, employees, community members and the world at large.
