CO2 Solutions Updates Saint-Félicien Pulp Mill and Greenhouse Carbon Capture Project

CO2 Solutions yesterday provided an update on progress at the Corporation's first commercial project with Fibrek General Partnership, a subsidiary of Resolute Forest Products Inc. and Serres Toundra Inc. The project entails the deployment of a carbon capture unit and ancillary equipment at a pulp mill in the Saint-Félicien region of Quebec, Canada and the commercial reuse of the captured CO2 by the adjacent Serres Toundra greenhouse facility.

CO2 Solutions and BBA, the engineering partner on the project, have completed the preliminary engineering phase. As a result, CO2 Solutions confirms that the CO2capture unit will be designed to produce 30 tonnes per day (tpd) of CO2 which is at the high-end of the initially expected range. As the project's original financial projections were conservatively based on revenues generated by a smaller, 15 tpd unit, CO2 Solutions now projects annual revenues of approximately $750,000 from the Project once it commences production.

With this first phase of the Project successfully completed, focus will turn to the detailed engineering of the CO2 capture and reuse facility, which is scheduled to be completed by October 2017. Ordering of certain long-lead items, for which engineering specifications have been developed, is anticipated for August. Initial mechanical integration work with the Resolute pulp and paper mill will be carried out during the fall 2017. Construction of plant components will take place during the winter. Structural and foundation work is anticipated to commence in April 2018 followed by assembly of constructed plant components.

Commissioning and start-up of the completed capture plant is projected for Q4 of 2018. This updated schedule reflects the project's later than expected start date, the result of delays in obtaining all the necessary project financing and CO2 Solutions' choice to limit construction activities during the winter months.

In 2014, the project was initially budgeted at $7.4 million. The currency, US$/CAD$, fluctuations since 2014 as well as normal inflation have resulted in CO2 Solutions adjusting the project budget from the original $7.4 million to $8.4 million. Without these external factors, the budget is in line with initial estimates, CO2 Solutions noted. Additionally, this increase is favorably compensated in the project's overall economics by the now higher revenue projections, the company added. (CO2Solutions)