CBC
Summary
The Nova Scotia government has announced the six locations that will serve as test sites for wood energy projects in public buildings.
A tender was issued Monday to pre-qualified companies to design, build and operate systems that use wood chips from private woodlots to provide heat
"This initiative will help develop new, long-term markets for lower grade wood by replacing imported oil with locally-sourced wood chips," Lands and Forestry Minister Iain Rankin said in a news release.
"Creating a new market for lower grade wood will improve the economics of sustainable forest management, leading to healthier forests and a stable market for woodlot owners. "
A big opportunity
The move is one of the recommendations in the Lahey Report on forestry practices. Last summer, the deputy minister of lands and forestry said the government has identified 100 public buildings that would be good candidates for conversion to district heating, a method that's already used widely on P.E.I.
Ian Ripley, general manager of the Athol Forestry Co-op near Amherst, said there's "huge" potential for the use of district heating in Nova Scotia. He and others have pushed for its use in the province for years.
"I think we have a similar if not larger opportunity here in Nova Scotia" compared to P.E.I., said Ripley.
The province is hoping district heating can help fill the void created by the shutdown of Northern Pulp. The Pictou County mill was the largest buyer of chips in the province before it ceased operations last month.
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