FNPA and the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) Bioenergy Plant

The FNPA Team visited the Meadow Lake Tribal Council’s (MLTC) bioenergy plant. It is a first of its kind green energy biomass project for Saskatchewan, combining environmental improvement with thermal efficiency and directly improving the economic outcomes for the ultimate recipients of the project— nine member First Nations comprising the Meadow Lake Tribal Council.

The objective of MLTC’s bioenergy project is to generate carbon-neutral green power using sawmill biomass residuals and to reduce air emissions by eliminating one of Canada’s last remaining beehive burners. The project consists of installation of a bioenergy power plant at the Meadow Lake Tribal Council’s (MLTC) NorSask sawmill site located near Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan.

The installation will involve one air-cooled, refractory- lined, reciprocating grate furnace with thermal oil heat exchangers, a 6.6 MW Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbo-generator and all associated fuel handling and environmental emission systems. The bioenergy plant will achieve significant environmental benefits by reducing adverse air emissions and particulate matter. The bioenergy plant will also enhance the economic outcomes of the nine Indigenous communities associated with the Meadow Lake Tribal Council through improved operations of Canada’s only 100% Indigenous-owned sawmill by converting a waste stream into valuable energy. The ultimate recipients of the financial benefits of the power plant will be the Indigenous youth and families of the Meadow Lake Tribal Council located in northwest Saskatchewan.