Varennes Cellulosic Ethanol L.P., a joint venture partnership formed by Canadian companies Enerkem and Ethanol GreenField, will invest about $90 million in a fuel ethanol plant.

Photo : New Varennes plant, photo provided by Enerkem

The plant will be built on the site of Ethanol GreenField’s first-generation facility in Varennes.

The new plant will produce some 40 million litres of second-generation fuel ethanol each year from municipal residual materials such as industrial, commercial and institutional waste as well as non-recyclable debris from construction and demolition sites. These materials will be processed by means of an innovative technique developed in Québec by Enerkem.

The Québec government is granting $27 million in financial assistance to the project, including a $9-million loan from Investissement Québec. The plant, which becomes operational in 2014, will create 40 direct jobs and as many indirect jobs.