Biomass cogeneration plant: A self-sufficient renewable energy project in Opitciwan
With the construction of a biomass cogeneration plant that will convert forestry biproducts into electricity, the Atikamekw community of Opitciwan, Quebec, will significantly reduce its consumption of fossil fuels while improving the quality of life for its 2,500 inhabitants.
The community of Opitciwan, has operated a sawmill for over 25 years, and has spent a decade working on the forest biomass cogeneration plant project. In December 2022, the Opitciwan Atikamekw Council, Hydro-Québec and Onimiskiw Opitciwan Limited Partnership signed a historic 25-year agreement with a possible 15-year extension. This contract, the first of its kind in Quebec, will allow the installation of a cogeneration plant that will convert unused bark, sawdust, and shavings from the sawmill into fuel in order to provide the community of Opitciwan with reliable, sustainable, and renewable electricity to meet its growing needs.
"It didn't make sense for us to source diesel from outside the community to generate electricity when we had all the resources to do it right here in the community," said Grégoire Lemay, Project Manager and Administrator of the board of directors of Onimiskiw.
The biomass cogeneration plant will be 100% owned by the Opitciwan Atikamekw Council.
It will be overseen by Onimiskiw Opitciwan Limited Partnership, whose Board of Directors consists of a majority of Atikamekw members.
Scheduled to open in late summer 2026, the plant will reduce the Opitciwan community's diesel consumption by 85%, replacing most of the energy produced by the 4 diesel generators. It is estimated that the new facilities will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 13,000 tonnes per year, which is equivalent to removing 5,000 cars from Quebec roads each year.
In addition to decarbonizing the community's electricity production, the implementation of a forest biomass cogeneration plant in the Opitciwan community will bring several considerable benefits. In addition to improving the sawmill's profitability, this project will contribute to:
- improve road safety in the community
- reduce power outages
- create a dozen permanent jobs
- generate significant economic benefits that will stimulate the local economy
- provide the band council with funds to develop several initiatives
"To reach Opitciwan, you need to drive 160 km on a forest road. With the trucks that pass by every week to deliver diesel to the community and process the wood from the sawmill, the road is extremely dangerous," said Paul Michaud, chartered professional accountant in charge of finance and administration.
The new power plant, located adjacent to the sawmill, will use the heat generated during residue processing to dry the wood sold by the sawmill. This system represents another significant advantage in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the community's energy self-sufficiency.
This project, which received support from the Forest Full Value Initiative, co-managed with Natural Resources Canada, and the Quebec Green Initiative, co-managed with Canada Economic Development, will certainly have an impact on the sustainability of electricity production, but above all will contribute to Opitciwan's local economic development.
Photo credit: Izabel Zimmer
Photo from left to right: Grégoire Lemay, Administrator, Onimiskiw Opitciwan Limited Partnership, Marie-Louise Tardif, Member of Parliament for Laviolette–Saint-Maurice, Coalition Avenir Québec, France Wong, Senior Director of Marketing, Customer Experience and Brand at Hydro-Québec, Ian Lafrenière, Minister Responsible for Relations with First Nations and Inuit, Government of Quebec, Jean-Claude Mequish, Chief, Atikamekw Council of Opitciwan, Ghislain Picard, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, Denis Clary, President, Onimiskiw Opitciwan Limited Partnership and Paul Michaud, CPA, Director of Finance and Administration, Onimiskiw Opitciwan Limited Partnership.