CBC
Summary
As the Nova Scotia government continues to search for new markets for wood chips, a change made earlier this spring has allowed for more biomass to be burned in the interim as a way to help the forestry sector.
Sawmills and contractors were suddenly faced with a glut of wood chips following the shutdown of Northern Pulp at the end of January. The Pictou County pulp mill was the largest consumer of wood chips and other residuals in Nova Scotia, by a large margin.
With chips suddenly piling up in woodyards, the province has been pursuing a variety of options, including district heating, wood pellets and new export markets, but it also made a change in May to help in the short term.
When it became clear the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project was not yet ready to come fully online, affecting Nova Scotia Power's renewable energy target, the government signed an order in council requiring the utility to buy more renewables from within the province. That translated to the utility buying more wood chips to be used in the biomass boilers that generate electricity at Brooklyn Energy and in Point Tupper.
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