JOHNSTOWN - GreenField Ethanol, Canada’s leading ethanol producer, announced Nov. 2 the results of an analysis demonstrating that its plant in Johnstown, currently under construction, will generate substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions once it becomes operational.
"We are extremely proud to be building an ethanol plant in Johnstown that will generate significant benefits to the environment," said Bliss Baker, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for GreenField Ethanol. "The results of third-party modeling show the plant will play an important role in combating climate change."
Using a sophisticated modeling mechanism developed by a well respected third party known as the Delphi Group, GreenField Ethanol conducted a greenhouse gas modeling analysis on the Johnstown plant to ensure the facility has the smallest CO2 footprint possible. The results show that the ethanol produced in Johnstown will displace 370,000 tons of CO2 per year, or 9.25-million tons over the life of the plant. This is equivalent to permanently taking 46,000 cars off the road.
The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) granted approval Tues., Oct. 9 for the construction of a 6.5-kilometre Union Gas pipeline to fuel the plant
A Union Gas representative said preliminary work to cut trees and brush out the area for the four-inch pipeline will start in early 2008. Installataion of the pipeline will start in the spring and it is planned to be in service by the summer of 2008 so that the plant go into production by its target date of the fall of next year.
Canada’s Environment Minister, John Baird, and Member of Parliament for Leeds-Grenville, Gord Brown, all with Prescott mayor Suzanne Dodge and Edwardsbrugh/Cardinal mayor Larry Dishaw, toured the construction site Nov. 2 and received an update on the plant’s progress. The Government of Canada contributed $15 million towards the construction of the Johnstown facility under the Ethanol Expansion Program.
"Together with the Government of Canada, GreenField Ethanol is making important progress in combating climate change through projects such as the Johnstown ethanol facility," said Baker.
Located near the junction of Highway 401 and Highway 416, next to the railway tracks, the Johnstown ethanol plant will produce 200 million litres of ethanol per year once operational. Numerous studies have proven that the use of ethanol reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions and helps clean the air we breathe.
GreenField Ethanol, formerly Commercial Alcohols, is Canada’s leading ethanol producer. The company produces 250 million litres of corn-based fuel ethanol every year at its plants in Chatham and Tiverton, Ont. and Varennes, QC. Two more plants are under construction in Hensall and Johnstown and will be operational in 2008. GreenField Ethanol will be one of the top producers in North America with five operating plants, producing more than 700-million litres of ethanol per year by 2008.
From the Archives:
News, November 2007
