Proposed Plan

Nipissing First Nation

The Nipissing First Nation (NFN) and GPC have been long-standing partners investigating the feasibility of a number of potential renewable energy projects. These potential ventures have included a biomass-fed combined heat and power (CHP) plant, a large scale solar development, and hydroelectric potential. In the end, NFN and GPC decided that a wood pellet manufacturing facility was the most effective use of NFN's rich human and natural resources.

The proposed pellet mill, located on NFN lands, will produce 24,000 tonnes of premium quality wood pellets using local fibre and wood processing residuals as feedstock. Product will go to feed regional home and industrial heating markets. The pellet mill will create over 20 new jobs in the plant, the forestry sector, and transportation industry, many of these being filled by NFN community members. Construction is slated to begin in the spring of 2011 and be completed within 8 months.

Wood pellets are a carbon-neutral, environmentally friendly, economic, and sustainable energy source that has proven potential to relieve a significant portion of our reliance on fossil fuels (heating). In Ontario, heat energy from biofibre is critically underutilized and represents a tremendous opportunity to take control of energy production costs and to lessen environmental impacts.

NFN and GPC are equal partners through NBiising Mshkowzeemgut Power Inc., a company incorporated for the purpose of developing this project. Current estimates suggest that full plant ownership will be transferred to NFN within 9 years under the GPC First Nations Investment Philosophy.