A 50-50 joint venture partnership has been formed between the Tsilhqot’in Government and Western Biomass Power Corp to construct and operate a biomass power plant west of the Fraser River, British Columbia. The partnership will form the Tsilhqot’in Power Corporation (”TCP”).

A detailed engineering study as well as a fiber supply analysis has been completed by the joint venture leading them to propose that the Tsilhqot’in Power Project would have a capacity of 50MW of electricity. Expected cost of the project is $200,000 which will include the cosntruction of the electrical generation plant as well as a greenhouse to grow seedlings which will be used in a re-forestation program in the Tsilhqot’in territory.

The facility will be a wood waste to energy facility, being fed by the unwanted waste from the nearby forestry industry. The analysis done by TCP says the project will capitalize on the environmental benefits of green technology through effective commercial use of wood waste, including bug kill, fiber left behind in cut blocks, road side waste and wind throw.

TCP submitted details of its proposal to BC Hydro’s Phase 1, Bio Energy Call for Power today – a short list of proposals is expected in early July followed by contract awards mid October. In the event that TCP is awarded an EPA, construction could start in early 2010. The plant would be capable of generating approximately 420,000 megawatt hours of firm energy – electricity to supply approximately 42,000 homes. Western Biomass expects to submit further proposals to the second phase of BC Hydro’s Phase 2, Bio Energy Call for Power expected in October of this year.

It’s then expected that construction of the Tsilhqot’in Power Project will take around two years giving a completion date some time in 2012.

The biomass power project comes with added benefits for the Tsilhqot’in people because of the job opportunities the project will bring to the area, it will provide an effective method of management of the lands, the existing forest biomass waste will be cleaned up, electricity will be generated with zero carbon emissions.