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Opitciwan community in Canada to be powered by biomass plant

The Conseil des Atikamekw d’Opitciwan (CAO), Hydro-Québec (HQ) and the Société en commandite Onimiskiw Opitciwan (SCOO) have forged a historic agreement to build a forest biomass cogeneration plant to supply Opitciwan. The future off-grid system will be the first of its kind in an Indigenous community in Québec, Canada.

With an installed capacity of 4.8 MW, the plant is scheduled for commissioning in July 2026. The 25-year agreement, which has the option of a 15-year extension, also involves the acquisition and installation of a dryer at the Opitciwan sawmill.

Once in operation, the plant is intended to ensure a reliable, sustainable and renewable electricity supply for the community. The project will also contribute significantly to local job creation and economic development by consolidating and maximising the activities of the sawmill, whose majority shareholder is the CAO.

With the overall costs at an estimated $60.2 million (€41.8m), provincial and federal government contributions will be required along with investments from the proponents (SCOO and CAO). In terms of jobs, 40 workers will be hired for the construction phase, with about 15 permanent jobs to be created once the facility is up and running.

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