Biofuels Opportunities for Producers Initiative funds 12 projects in Quebec

The Government of Canada is committed to establishing regulations that will require 5 percent average renewable fuel content in transportation fuels by 2010 and intends to regulate a 2 percent requirement for renewable content in diesel fuel and heating oil by 2012. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) wants to ensure that these targets are implemented in ways that result in the greatest possible benefit to the agricultural sector, including ownership of biofuels production facilities by agricultural producers.

On July 17, 2006, Canada's New Government announced $10 million in funding for the Biofuels Opportunities for Producers Initiative (BOPI) to be delivered through the industry councils in each province and territory that administer the Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) Program.

Due to the high demand from producers and industry, on March 3, 2007, Canada's New Government announced an additional $10 million in BOPI funding. An additional $3 million was made available last fiscal year to fund additional projects and $7 million is being provided this fiscal year (2007-2008) for new BOPI project proposals, bringing the total up to $20 million over the two fiscal years.

The BOPI, delivered through the industry councils in each province/territory that administer AAFC's ACAAF Program, was developed to help meet this goal. Individual project funding is capped at $300,000 and at least 25 per cent of the project cost must be provided by the industry, of which one third must come from producers.

BOPI funding totalling $992,563 is being provided through Conseil pour le développement de l'agriculture du Québec (CDAQ) to 12 biofuels projects in Quebec, including:

• $300,000 to Fédération des producteurs de bovins du Québec to develop engineering phases leading to the construction of an integrated facility for processing slaughter and dead animal by-products into biofuel.
  
  
• $187,808 to Nutrinor, Coopérative agroalimentaire du Saguenay, Lac St-Jean to develop a business plan and required studies for construction of a biodiesel microproduction facility.
  
  
• $108,800 to Société 9042007-09-04develop a feasibility study and business plan for the construction of a biofuel facility from existing infrastructures.
  
  
• $98,393 to Potager Meunier inc., St-Roch-de-L'Achigan - Lanaudière to develop a feasibility study concerning the construction of a pilot ethanol and by-products production facility from willow crops.
  
  
• $71,561 to Fédération des producteurs de cultures commerciales du Québec to position grain producers in Quebec and facilitate their uptake of biofuel market opportunities.
  
  
• $70,256 to Ferme Gaston Roy, Sainte-Marguerite to develop a feasibility study for a biodiesel production unit in the Quebec City region.
  
  
• $42,999 to La Coopérative fédérée du Québec, Montréal to contribute to the gathering of information for the preparation of a biofuel development policy and feasibility study for the production of ethanol and biodiesel.
  
  
• $39,375 to Serge Quintal, Saint-Ignace-de-Standbridge to develop a feasibility study and production of a business plan for the construction of a biodiesel production plant.
  
  
• $23,800 to Syndicat des producteurs de cultures commerciales du Centre-du-Québec to develop a feasibility study concerning biodiesel production from oilcrops oil.
  
  
• $19,580 to Institut de recherche et de développement en agroenvironnement, Ste-Foy to determine the potential for biomass production from various vegetable species and the quality of their ligno-cellulosic complex for ethanol processing.
  
  
• $16,000 to Les Huiles naturelles d'Amérique, Les Cèdres to develop a feasibility study for biofuel production in a small-size facility, Suroît region (in the western Montérégie).
  
  
• $13,991 to Coopérative agricole Profid'Or, Joliette - Lanaudière to develop a feasibility study concerning the construction of an ethanol production facility from sugar beet.

Opportunities for greater involvement in biofuels production facilities allow agricultural producers to participate in this emerging industry and increases their share of the benefits from renewable fuels production beyond delivering feedstock.