Ontario Government Invests Over $11.3 Million in CHAR Technologies

In December, CHAR Technologies Ltd. announced that the government of Canada and Ontario invested over $11.3 million to support the expansion of their Thorold, Ontario facility. The funding will also go towards producing natural, renewable gas (RNG) and biocarbon which will lead to the creation of the largest facility of its type in the country. The facility will also be the only RNG location in Canada dedicated exclusively to woody biomass.

The investment was made possible through the support of Natural Resources Canada and their investments in the forestry industry transformation program and Ontario’s forest sector investment and innovation program. The funding will be distributed in installments throughout construction, beginning early this year and into 2025.

CHAR’s revolutionary high-temperature pyrolysis (HTP) method converts woody biomass to produce two profitable green outputs at the same time. The outputs are then ready for industrial application without producing greenhouse gases. Once the facility is operational, it will convert 75,000 tonnes of woody biomass while developing 500,000 gigajoules of RNG and 10,000 tonnes of biocarbon annually.

“This new facility will produce clean alternative fuels and increase sustainability in the forest sector through new and emerging uses of renewable forest biomass,” said Graydon Smith, Ontario minister of natural resources and forestry. “Our investment in CHAR Technologies is an investment in Ontario, which will boost productivity, create jobs and support a thriving forest economy that communities throughout the province depend on.”

The Thorold facility’s ability to offer a practical alternative fuel is expected to reduce Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions by 30,000 tonnes every year. Reducing the number of mill by-products from the landfill will help to prevent and reduce indirect emissions by another 30,000 tonnes a year which is equivalent to diverting 18,000 vehicles from the road.

CHAR Technologies Ltd. is a cleantech company committed to developing custom equipment for water treatment and specializing in waste and pyrolysis. The business also provides environmental management support, site investigation, engineering and environmental compliance. CHAR’s Thorold Multimodal facility is a 250-acre multimodal industrial hub. Having more than 500,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor storage space, the facility hosts a variety of industrial, cargo handling and ancillary technologies.

“Thanks to the confidence and support from the governments of Canada and Ontario, CHAR is proud to demonstrate what can be accomplished when industry and governments work together towards a green energy transition,” stated Andrew White, CEO of CHAR Technologies. “Today represents climate change action, and signifies a major win for Canada’s growing bioeconomy as we move towards a Net Zero future in collaboration with Ontario’s resilient forestry sector.”