Forest Biomass

MNR is exploring new opportunities to generate electricity from biomass resources on Crown land following ecologically sustainable practices.

A three-year pilot project, which the MNR is currently supporting, will convert forest waste to bio-liquid in a mobile plant to produce heat, electricity and specialty chemicals for Northern Ontario communities.

MNR is also working with bioenergy entrepreneurs to develop the new business of ethanol production from biomass, in a manner which is consistent with its vision of sustainable development.

Creating energy using biomass is considered to have positive environmental implications. Most importantly, bioenergy production is considered to be 'greenhouse gas neutral' because the process does not add more carbon dioxide to the air than it absorbed through carbon sequestration when it was growing. A hectare of forest, for example, absorbs a similar amount of CO2 as is released by burning 88,000 litres of fuel oil or 134,000 cubic meters of 'natural' gas.

In other words, burning biomass creates less carbon dioxide on the whole, than its fossil-fuel counterpart. Find out more about biomass.

Other Biomass Initiatives

Ontario 's commitment to a Renewable Fuels Standard will require an average of five per cent ethanol in all gasoline sold in Ontario by January 1, 2007 . The Ontario Ethanol Growth Fund aims to support the production of ethanol fuel in Ontario , by providing capital and operating assistance and support for independent retailers selling ethanol blends.

The Alternative Renewable Fuels Research and Development Fund is a competitive research fund open to universities, research institutions, industry, governments, organizations or partnership networks. The fund aims to enable development of alternative renewable fuels industry and production Ontario .