Making a pitch
British entrepreneur to present biomass investment proposal to forestry sector, government
As he listened to Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil share his controversial resolve to uphold the Boat Harbour Act, business consultant Richard Spinks recognized an opportunity. It was Dec. 20, 2019, and McNeil was delivering his remarks in Halifax about the future of the Northern Pulp mill in Pictou County. Spinks was watching live online from Ukraine. There would be no extension, the premier said. The pulp mill would close. Thousands of workers would be impacted. Spinks said he knew the premier was making a tough decision — both brave and one that could devastate the province’s fragile economy. He listened intently when McNeil spoke about the need to find new markets. That’s when he got excited. “As soon as he said it, I said, ‘That’s us.’”
SHARING HIS PLAN
Next week, Spinks, a Britishborn entrepreneur, will share an investment proposal during the Forest Nova Scotia annual general meeting (Feb. 10 and 11) that he believes could solve many of the problems that Northern Pulp’s void in the province creates, and usher in an era of cleaner energy. What he will propose is the construction of a pellet plant in Pictou County.
A potential location, he believes, would be the former Daewoo site in Trenton, that was last used to build wind turbines and is now managed by N.S. Lands. The specialized biomass pellets could then be shipped to Europe where they’d be used as a potential replacement for fossil fuels, such as coal, in energy production. Like pulp, the process utilizes lower quality wood and chips. By pelletizing the product, it eliminates the concern for pests, such as the spruce beetle that has hindered Nova Scotia’s softwood exports. In theory, Spinks said he believes his company could utilize as much wood as Northern Pulp did — perhaps more. And if things went according to plan, every step of the forestry process would remain the same, up to the point of arriving at the gate. It would also keep shipments flowing out of the Port of Halifax. Jeff Bishop, Forest Nova Scotia executive director, said Spinks has shared some of his proposals with him. “I’ll reserve comment on the project until I know/ understand more,” Bishop said, “but (it’s) good to see someone with interest in investing in the N.S. sector right now.” While Spinks isn’t on the agenda as a presenter, Bishop confirmed the entrepreneur is planning to attend the meeting and will be speaking with folks and making his plans more public. Trenton Mayor Shannon MacInnis said it’s always good to have interest in the former industrial site in his town and added they would love to see a business established there, but could not comment specifically on the prospect of a biomass facility.
QUICK ACTION IS KEY
Operating a pellet plant would employ fewer people than the pulp mill did, Spinks concedes, but he added the jobs it could save are those of forestry workers and truckers. He said time will be of the essence so they can have limited interruption in the supply chain that’s already in place. “It has, in our view, a finite timeline to it.” That’s why his company, RMDE, has been working frantically since the announcement to come up with a plan. To their advantage, they had some of the groundwork in place from projects in other areas and were able to adapt it to a Nova Scotia model.
SEEING FOR HIMSELF
For three weeks after the Dec. 20 announcement, Spinks monitored the situation from afar. He was so convinced about the potential that he came to Pictou County recently to see the area in person and determine whether it was feasible. “I went over there to check my assumptions and really get a feel for where everything was — railways and port.” Everything he saw confirmed what he believed, he told SaltWire Network. He said he liked the former Daewoo location, historically known for building rail cars because it has rail lines in place, which would make for easy shipment. It also is next door to Nova Scotia Power’s Trenton Generating Station, which he said would have the potential to be powered by the pellets in the future. Timelines on a project like this, though, are still unknown. Much will depend on the reception he receives from those in the forestry industry and government. “We hope that we’d be welcome and we hope that the government would also come alongside and make sure this happens,” Spinks said. He said he will be bringing three people with him to present the proposal. “We’re going to move as fast as we possibly can.”