Pacific BioEnergy

Pacific BioEnergy looks at sustainability from both an economic and environmental perspective and believes they are firmly connected. You can’t have a strong economy without a healthy environment, and vice versa.

Sustainability from the economic perspective means steady growth of the company through strategic partnerships, strategic investments in innovation and new technologies. It means supporting our employees through training and development, with a persistent focus on safety. It also means manufacturing a superior product, quality assurance and proactive involvement in our communities.

Sustainability from the environmental perspective is what makes Pacific BioEnergy a leader in the wood pellet industry and what makes our employees excited to be members of the Pacific BioEnergy team. Our company and the wood pellet industry as a whole in BC meant that sawmill and forest residues could be turned into a clean, green energy alternative. Air quality improved in Prince George and other BC communities when sawmills were able to shutdown beehive burners as a result of the wood pellet industry’s ability to utilize residual fibre from the solid wood sector.

Manufacturing wood pellets by utilizing logging residuals that would otherwise be burned by the primary harvesting companies also greatly improves our air quality and helps our forest industry be as carbon neutral as possible.

Another fibre source for our pellets is beetle-killed trees that are not suitable for dimensional lumber or pulp chips. These trees are harvested and processed to make wood pellets. In doing this these damaged ecosystems are reforested allowing the forest ecosystem to recovery from the mountain beetle epidemic. Even forests damaged by fires, that are not suitable fibre for the solid wood or pulp and paper industries can be harvested and processed to make wood pellets. In harvesting this fibre we are at the same time reforesting and rehabilitating the fire damaged ecosystem. The development of the wood pellet industry has provided greater sustainability from both the economic and to a greater degree the environmental perspective.

Company History

Pacific BioEnergy has been a leader in the development of the wood pellet industry in British Columbia since its start in 1994. The vision was simple and strategic. Take residual fibre from sawmills that was once disposed of in beehive burners and turn that material into a carbon neutral, renewable fuel to replace coal and fossil fuels.

1994
‘Pellet Flame’ is started in Prince George by John Swaan in partnership with Carrier Lumber.

1998
‘Pellet Flame’ moves from bagged pellets to bulk shipments to markets in Europe.

2005
Demand for bulk pellets is growing and a new plant site is purchased.

2007
The new plant is opened and the company restructured as Pacific BioEnergy Corporation (PBEC).

2008
Pacific BioEnergy celebrates shipment of its one millionth ton of wood pellets to Europe.

2010
The Prince George plant is expanded to increase production and improve environmental controls.

2013
Nazbec is formed as a new partnership between PBEC and Nazko Economic Development Corporation. Nazbec opens a state-of-the-art biomass processing facility in Quesnel using beetle-killed logs from the Nazko area west of Quesnel.

2014
Construction on the Chetwynd Pellet plant begins in partnership with Canfor.

2015
Construction on the Fort St John Pellet plant begins in partnership with Canfor.

2017
Sumitomo Corporation of Japan purchases 48% of Pacific BioEnergy.

2018
New fibre screening and processing system begins operating at the Prince George plant.

Company Facts

Pacific BioEnergy has operated in Prince George since 1994. Pacific BioEnergy employs 55 people in its Prince George plant and office and generates another 50 indirect jobs. The plant produces about 550,000 tons of wood pellets annually. PBEC supports a variety of special events throughout the year including the PG Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards. Pacific BioEnergy has also been a longtime sponsor of the Canadian Bioindustry Conference and Exhibition which is held in Prince George every second year.

Pacific BioEnergy is a proud partner with Canada’s Green University, the University of Northern BC. Pacific BioEnergy donates wood pellets to help fuel the I.K. Barber Enhanced Forestry Lab, two on-campus residence buildings, the UNBC Childcare Centre and forest research greenhouse at UNBC.

Pacific BioEnergy started 2018 with a new partnership with the Prince George Humane Society. The Prince George Humane Society is a community based registered charity that provides a safe haven for abused, neglected and abandoned animals in the north. Over the past few years, staff and volunteers at the Society determined that they preferred to use wood pellets instead of chemical-based kitty-litter. Wood pellets absorbed a lot more odor and were easier to work with but purchase of wood pellets meant the Society was using valuable funds that were needed to help the animals in care. The Society approached Pacific BioEnergy and requested a partnership that would supply all its wood pellet needs and since January, Pacific BioEnergy has been supplying pellets to the PG Humane Society. Pacific BioEnergy is proud that it’s renewable energy alternative wood pellets have another useful purpose in helping animals in need.

Nazbec a partnership involving Pacific BioEnergy, Nazko First Nation and Tolko built and operated a state-of-the-art Fibre Processor in Quesne from 2013 to 2019. Logs harvested in the Nazko area west of Quesnel were trucked to the facility. Pulp logs were chipped and sent to pulp mills in Quesnel. Logs not suitable for dimension lumber or pulp chips were processed and sent to Pacific BioEnergy’s Prince George plant for processing into wood pellets.