Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt attended the grand opening of GreenField Ethanol’s new plant in Johnstown, Ontario, which is expected to produce up to 200 million litres of ethanol each year. GreenField Ethanol is Canada’s leading ethanol producer, and the Johnstown facility, the largest of its kind in Canada, will potentially grow the local economy by more than $200 million, directly benefiting the Johnstown area farmers producing the corn needed to create ethanol.
“Ethanol is clean, efficient and renewable, making it an important alternate fuel option,” said Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt. “The Government of Canada’s investment of up to $117.5 million in this facility demonstrates our commitment to help create and sustain local jobs and economic opportunities while creating a healthier environment for all Canadians.”
“With the new Johnstown plant, GreenField Ethanol continues to broaden Canadians’ fuel choices,” said Greenfield Ethanol Chairman and Founder Kenneth Field. “It is a significant step for ethanol adoption and, in turn, greenhouse gas reduction. And because it’s made in Canada, it reduces our dependence on foreign produced oil while creating much needed jobs, making this plant opening a win-win for all Canadians.”
Ethanol is commercially produced from renewable agriculture crops such as surplus corn and has a strong future in Canada. In fact, the federal government has mandated gasoline to contain an average of five per cent ethanol by 2010. This is significant, because the National Resources Canada’s GH Genius model shows that corn ethanol, when blended with gasoline for transportation fuel, reduces greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by up to 40 per cent compared to gasoline. The gasoline shift in 2010 will be equivalent to removing one million cars from Canada’s roads every year.
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