From pollution to power: Canada’s first Indigenous-owned bioenergy facility opens – CBC

Jan 02, 2023

Meadow Lake Tribal Council turns wood waste into heat and power, shuts down old beehive burner

As the temperature dips to -28 C, Paul Opikokew is ready for the unexpected at the newly-built Meadow Lake Tribal Council Bioenergy Centre in northwestern Saskatchewan, now being tested by its first winter in operation.

Opikokew, 44, a process operator, monitors 980 alarms on a computer system that tracks every part of the $100-million facility — from the wood chips coming in from the nearby sawmill to the power going out to roughly 5,000 homes.

“It’s something new, something that I’m excited about because it’s new technology and good for the environment,” Opikokew told CBC News during an interview at the facility located on the outskirts of Meadow Lake, 250 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/norsask-indigenous-owned-bioenergy-1.6677887