Skip to content

City signs land sale agreement for BioRefinex facility

The City and BioRefinex Canada Inc. finalized a land sale for 12.2 acres of land in a southeast industrial park for the proposed project.

After well over a five-year wait, a land sale agreement has been reached between the City of Lacombe and BioRefinex.

The City and BioRefinex Canada Inc. finalized a land sale for 12.2 acres of land in a southeast industrial park for the proposed project.

The signing of the agreement was announced this past Friday.

“It is terrific to see this major milestone being reached, and we’re looking forward to working with BioRefinex representatives to bring this project to fruition,” said City of Lacombe Mayor Steve Christie in a press release. “Once complete, this cutting-edge facility will be a great asset to Lacombe.”

BioRefinex originally announced in 2011 that it wanted to build a facility in Lacombe to process 45,000 tonnes of animal byproducts each year into fertilizer and other products. The City originally entered into a conditional sale and development agreement with the company in the same year.

Financing challenges delayed the development of the facility, which was expected to be operating by 2013, and also in 2014 after BioRefinex securing regulatory and environmental permits from the province.

The matter was before City council multiple times over the past two years, where BioRefinex was granted an extension in order to secure financial backing.

“We are pleased to have completed this land sale transaction,” said BioRefinex President and CEO Chris Thrall in a press release. “With all of the regulatory and environmental permits already issued for the facility, we are focused on completing the final development activities so that we may break ground as soon as possible.”

Once complete, the Lacombe Biorefinery project will serve as the first full demonstration facility for the BioRefinex technology called thermal hydrolysis. Developers say the facility will become a showcase of advanced scientific and technological knowledge, demonstrating how individuals can successfully contribute to a sustainable environment by diverting animal by-product (organic waste materials) from landfills and incinerators and converting them into valuable nutrient and energy products.

Developers say that in addition to the environmental positives of the project, the facility can boost the local economy, through the immediate creation of jobs, and also assist the livestock industry.

For more information about the Lacombe BioRefinex project, visit www.biorefinex.com.

news@lacombeexpress.com