$6M for Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production in Manitoba

Winnipeg – Canada is establishing itself as a global supplier of choice for clean energy in a net-zero world, boasting one of the world’s most comprehensive and detailed climate plans, a wealth of natural resources and a skilled workforce. While industries around the world, including the aviation sector, are searching for more sustainable energy alternatives, Canadian workers and businesses are developing world-class industries to meet the global demand on the path to a net-zero future.

In Manitoba, Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, joined Wab Kinew, Premier of Manitoba, to announce a new combined federal investment of $6.2 million to support the future of sustainable aviation fuels in Manitoba in partnership with the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and the Province of Manitoba. This federal investment includes $5 million from the Clean Fuels Fund. This investment will support Azure in delivering a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study to unlock domestic growth in this emerging sector. The combined project investments total $12.3 million, including nearly $3 million in investments from the Province of Manitoba.

Azure’s FEED study will assess and prepare plans to define the development of a renewable distillates facility in the province, primarily focused on the production of sustainable aviation fuel with the ability and flexibility to produce other renewable clean fuels.

Azure’s planned processing facility will be near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, and it is expected to create over 1,500 jobs during and after construction while producing around one billion litres of sustainable aviation fuel annually, primarily from Canadian feedstock such as canola and soybean oils. These results are expected to benefit the Manitoba economy through a $2-billion economic impact while helping the world shift away from more-polluting aviation fuels.

This investment in Manitoba builds on an earlier announcement of $5 million in federal funding through NRCan’s Clean Fuels Fund for a similar project with Azure Sustainable Fuels Corp. in British Columbia. These projects will unlock growth opportunities across the domestic clean fuels market and lay the groundwork for the low-carbon fuels of the future while supporting the Canadian clean fuels industry’s rapid growth to meet the global demand to reduce pollution while bolstering energy security and affordability.

The Clean Fuels Fund’s investments are leveraging technology to help unlock opportunities across the supply chain in support Canada’s future as a global supplier of choice for clean energy in a net-zero world — ensuring a prosperous and sustainable future for Canadians in every region.