Canadian biofuel company
Enerkem is a clean technology company based in Montreal. Founded in 2000, Enerkem uses its patented technology to convert residual biomass and non-recyclable municipal solid waste (MSW) into biofuels and renewable chemicals.
In Quebec, Canada, Enerkem has an innovation centre in Westbury. The company's first commercial-scale demonstration plant was inaugurated in Edmonton in 2014. Other commercial plants are under development in Canada and Europe, such as in Tarragona (Spain), Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Varennes (Quebec), with the latter under construction in September 2021.
Enerkem is a private company. Its shareholders are National Bank of Canada, BlackRock, Braemar Energy Ventures, Cycle Capital, Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Fondaction CSN, Investissement Québec, Rho Ventures, Sinobioway, Suncor, The Westly Group and Waste Management.[1]
Since 2000, Enerkem has grown remarkably and become a world-class company with projects in Canada and abroad. With its unique and cutting-edge technology, Enerkem is well positioned in the field of biofuels and greenhouse gas reduction. The management team consists of ten managers and is chaired by Dominique Boies, CEO and CFO since 2019. The Board of Directors comprises nine experienced directors and is chaired by Joshua Ruch, President of Rho Capital Partners.[2]
History
Enerkem's technology was developed by Dr. Esteban Chornet (Lehigh University and Professor Emeritus at the University of Sherbrooke). Professor Chornet has been in Quebec since 1970 and has had a distinguished career as a professor at the University of Sherbrooke while continuing his work on biomass. He has also conducted highly successful research projects in catalysis and thermochemistry with Canadian and American partners.
Over the years, Esteban Chornet's research has allowed him to explore the potential of biomass as an alternative energy source. This led to the revolutionary technology that allows Enerkem to produce biofuels and renewable chemicals from biomass and non-recyclable waste.[3]
In 2000, in order to take full advantage of this technology, Esteban Chornet founded Enerkem with his son Vincent Chornet. The new company focused on refining its technology and seeking financing.[3]
In 2004, Enerkem completed the construction of a pilot plant in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, to further develop its technology and adapt it to market requirements.[4][5]
In 2009, the company commissioned an industrial demonstration plant in Westbury, in the Eastern Townships, Quebec. This plant will work on the production of ethanol and methanol from forestry waste and biomass. It will also have a mandate to develop new products and act as a training centre.[6][7]
In 2014, Enerkem inaugurated its first full-scale facility in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for the conversion of household waste into biofuels and renewable chemicals. In 2016, it became the first ISCC-certified plant in the world to convert waste materials into biomethanol.[8][9][10]
In 2018, Enerkem joined a partnership consisting of AkzoNobel, Van Gansewinkel, Air Liquide, AVR and Enerkem to build a waste treatment plant in Rotterdam in collaboration with the Port of Rotterdam, the City of Rotterdam, the Province of South Holland and Innovation Quarter.[11]
On July 12, 2019, Dominique Boies was appointed chief executive officer and Chief Financial Officer to replace Vincent Chornet, who died prematurely a few weeks earlier. Mr. Boies had served as the company's CFO since 2017.[12]
On December 8, 2020, Enerkem announced the construction of an $875 million biofuel plant in Varennes, Quebec.[13]
In April 2021, Spain's Repsol announced that it had partnered with Enerkem and Agbar (Suez) to build a waste-to-renewable chemicals plant in Tarragona, Spain.[14]
In June 2021, to meet growing demand from airlines, Shell, Enerkem, and the Port of Rotterdam announced a shift in focus for the Rotterdam (Netherlands) projected plant to the production of sustainable aviation fuel.[15]
