Province unveils biofuels program Section: Business & Agriculture Byline: Cassandra Kyle Dateline: SASKATOON
SASKATOON -- A provincial ethanol and biodiesel development program announced Tuesday in Tisdale will help rural investors benefit from Saskatchewan's growing biofuel industry, Premier Lorne Calvert says. The Saskatchewan Biofuels Investment Opportunity (SaskBIO) program will see $80 million in repayable contributions given to eligible corporations, individuals or partnerships for the construction or expansion of biofuel production facilities in the province. Applicants to the four-year program must have a minimum of five-per-cent farmer-community investment -- money from farmers as well as businesses or individuals with an address within 100 kilometres of the applicant. Calvert said the farmer-community investment gives the people closest to the agricultural roots of biofuels a chance to help build the industry. "Saskatchewan has 45 per cent of all the arable land in Canada, so our ability to actually grow fuel is of huge potential," he said. "There's just oodles of markets (for biofuels) opening up here and we are the province best suited to serve it." In addition to a minimum investment from farmers and communities, parties who are eligible for the SaskBIO program must have a minimum production capacity of two million litres per year. A maximum of $10 million will be given to each project, and an additional $2 million will be provided through the program for the research and development of biofuels and bioproducts. The program will start in 2008. -- Darryl McMahon It's your planet. If you won't look after it, who will? The Emperor's New Hydrogen Economy (now in print and eBook) http://www.econogics.com/TENHE/ _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
