February 4, 2018 – Melanie Irwin, Blackburn News – Plans are in the works for a bio-based feedstock company from California to build its first bio-chemical manufacturing facility in Sarnia.
City council will consider official plan and zoning bylaw amendments from Arlanxeo Canada for its property at 1265 Vidal St. S. at a public meeting Monday.
The applicant intends to sell property to Sacramento-based Origin Materials for construction of a plant that will convert wood fibres into chemicals that can be used to produce plastics and other products.
Mayor Mike Bradley welcomes the development.
“This has been a long time coming,” says Bradley. “It was 18 years ago that the economic leaders, political leaders and industry leaders said we need to move to bio-fuels.”
He says BioAmber was the first breakthrough.
“Now we’re seeing, because we’ve developed this cluster, we’ve had delegations in from around the world looking at how Sarnia-Lambton became this cluster. We’re very fortunate. We have the existing industry. We have lands that are very easy to renew. We have cooperation with business and labour and we have the agricultural sector. It all fits. Not any other community has that. Plus, the research side with the Research Park.”
The site to be acquired by Origin, was previously used by the Polymer Corporation for a synthetic rubber production facility, dating back to 1943.
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