Western Biodiesel Inc.’s facility produces 19 MMly of biodiesel blends ranging from B5 to B100, and markets crude glycerine, a byproduct used in the chemical industry.
Headquartered in Calgary, WBI’s goal is to produce and wholesale market biodiesel fuel.
The company delivered its first ASTM-quality biodiesel shipment in August 2008 from its facility in High River, since full production was established in January. WBI has plans to expand its operations to boost production up to 28 million litres sometime this year. Future expansion will not only provide WBI the opportunity to take advantage of increased biodiesel usage in Western Canada, but it will also capture a greater share of the Alberta tallow feedstock market.
"These funds will help Western Biodiesel in our mission to develop innovative technologies to help broaden Canadians' fuel choices," said Dean Cockshutt, president and chief executive officer of Western Biodiesel. "This investment will also result in greater workplace opportunities for the High River community."
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“This funding will [also] help create local jobs and economic opportunities, while increasing our supply of cleaner fuels to reduce greenhouse gases, and contribute to a healthier environment for all Canadians," added Ted Menzies, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Macleod.
The $19.9 million investment is being awarded under the ecoENERGY for Biofuels program, a $1.5 billion initiative aimed at encouraging the development of a strong, competitive, renewable fuels industry in Canada. Previous funding contributions have included a $5 million grant from Alberta’s provincial Bio-refining Commercialization and Market Development Program and Bio-energy Infrastructure Development Program in 2007, nearly $640,000 in funding from the ecoABC Initiative, and $275,000 in direct equity investment from local farmers.