In Canada, wood pellets are made from material that would otherwise be wasted.  This includes sawmill residues -- sawdust, planer shavings, and sometimes even a little bark -- and diseased and insect-killed trees and logging waste that sawmills have left behind in the forest after logging.

 

Our industry turns this waste into clean, renewable, carbon-neutral solid biofuel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Global wood pellet production has grown rapidly since year 2000 and is currently about 11 million tonnes per year.

As of 2010, Canada has 33 pellet plants with 2 million tonnes annual production capacity.  In 2009, and 2010, Canada's pellet plants operated at about 65% capacity - producing about 1.3 million tonnes per year.

 

British Columbia accounts for about 65% of Canadian capacity and production, while Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland collectively account for 35%.

 

Pellet plants in BC tend to be large.  An average BC plant produces about 150,000 tonnes annually.  Two new BC plants are being built with annual capacity of 400,000 tonnes.

 

Pellet plants in Eastern Canada are much smaller.  Most have about 50,000 tonnes capacity; the two largest eastern plants produce 100,000 tonnes annually.