Suncor Energy Inc. reported Tuesday that its St. Clair ethanol plant achieved a production milestone of one billion liters of ethanol in May 2011, just short of its fifth anniversary.
“We’re very proud of this achievement,” reflects Jim Provias, vice-president, Renewable Energy. “Reaching this milestone in just five years of operation is due to the efforts of our employees, who have operated the facility consistently, reliably, and most importantly, safely. In fact, since April of 2008 workers have put in over 350,000 hours at the plant without a recordable safety infraction.”
The St. Clair plant began operation in June 2006 with a yearly production capacity of 200 million liters. In February 2011, an expansion was completed which doubled production capacity to 400 million liters a year, making the facility the largest biofuel plant by volume in Canada.
According to a Life Cycle Value Assessment of the St. Clair ethanol plant conducted by the Pembina Institute, pure ethanol produces over 60 percent less carbon dioxide (CO2) than gasoline. By blending up to 10 percent ethanol from the St. Clair plant, the study estimated that overall CO2 emissions in gasoline could be reduced by 4.6 percent. Given the one billion liters produced at the plant to date, this equates to a CO2 emission reduction of nearly 1.5 million tonnes — the equivalent of the annual tailpipe emissions of approximately 300,000 cars.
The ethanol produced at the St. Clair plant is blended into Suncor’s Petro-Canada branded gasoline, providing a lower environmental impact than regular, non-ethanolized gasoline and ensuring Suncor meets government mandated blending standards.
Suncor is one of the largest players in renewable energy in Canada. Its St. Clair ethanol plant and five operating wind power projects across Canada — and a sixth to be operational by the end of the year — are expected to displace the equivalent of nearly one million tonnes of CO2 per year
Suncor Energy Inc. reported Tuesday that its St. Clair ethanol plant achieved a production milestone of one billion liters of ethanol in May 2011, just short of its fifth anniversary.
“We’re very proud of this achievement,” reflects Jim Provias, vice-president, Renewable Energy. “Reaching this milestone in just five years of operation is due to the efforts of our employees, who have operated the facility consistently, reliably, and most importantly, safely. In fact, since April of 2008 workers have put in over 350,000 hours at the plant without a recordable safety infraction.”
The St. Clair plant began operation in June 2006 with a yearly production capacity of 200 million liters. In February 2011, an expansion was completed which doubled production capacity to 400 million liters a year, making the facility the largest biofuel plant by volume in Canada.
According to a Life Cycle Value Assessment of the St. Clair ethanol plant conducted by the Pembina Institute, pure ethanol produces over 60 percent less carbon dioxide (CO2) than gasoline. By blending up to 10 percent ethanol from the St. Clair plant, the study estimated that overall CO2 emissions in gasoline could be reduced by 4.6 percent. Given the one billion liters produced at the plant to date, this equates to a CO2 emission reduction of nearly 1.5 million tonnes — the equivalent of the annual tailpipe emissions of approximately 300,000 cars.
The ethanol produced at the St. Clair plant is blended into Suncor’s Petro-Canada branded gasoline, providing a lower environmental impact than regular, non-ethanolized gasoline and ensuring Suncor meets government mandated blending standards.
Suncor is one of the largest players in renewable energy in Canada. Its St. Clair ethanol plant and five operating wind power projects across Canada — and a sixth to be operational by the end of the year — are expected to displace the equivalent of nearly one million tonnes of CO2 per year.
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