GreenField and SunOpta cellulosic ethanol JV

GreenField Ethanol, Canada's leading ethanol producer, and SunOpta today announced a new joint venture to develop a commercial-scale plant that will produce ethanol from wood chips.

The plant is slated to produce 40 million liters of cellulosic ethanol per year, making it the first operating commercial cellulose ethanol plant in the world to use wood chips, the companies claim.

"This partnership combines decades of GreenField's experience in developing world-class ethanol plants and SunOpta's experience in developing cellulose pre-treatment technologies," said Bob Gallant, President and CEO of GreenField Ethanol.

The two companies are now selecting a site for the plant in Ontario or Quebec.

GreenField and SunOpta's BioProcess Group will own the new joint venture 50/50.

SunOpta builds biomass conversion equipment and facilities. The company is currently supplying equipment and technology to three cellulosic ethanol projects in the U.S., Spain, and China.

GreenField, formerly Commercial Alcohols, produces 215-million liters a year of corn-based ethanol at its plants in Chatham and Tiverton, Ontario. A third facility in Varennes, Quebec is slated to open in February 2007 and two more plants are under construction in Hensall and Johnstown, Ontario. GreenField expects to be producing more than 700-million liters of ethanol per year by 2008.

GreenField's fuel is available at more than 1,500 gas stations across Canada.

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