CHAR Technologies (CHAR Tech) has begun the commissioning process for its Thorold Renewable Energy Facility. This is the company’s first commercial renewable energy and biocarbon production facility.
Commissioning activities are being carried out in multiple stages at the new facility in Thorold, Ont. Feedstock receiving and handling systems are now entering startup to support stable material flow, ahead of commissioning of the commercial high-temperature pyrolysis (HTP) kiln, which is expected to follow shortly.
Production volumes are expected to increase progressively as systems are tested, integrated and stabilized through the commissioning process. CHAR Tech is targeting a Phase 1 biocarbon production run rate of 5,000 tonnes per year by the end of the first quarter (Q1) of 2026.
“Commissioning is where operating performance, throughput and product quality are established,” says Andrew White, CEO. “We are bringing systems online in sequence with the goal of reaching stable, saleable production as efficiently as possible.”
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Upon completion of Phase 1, Char Tech plans to proceed with Phase 2 of construction, including the installation of a second HTP kiln to double the facility’s biocarbon production capacity, the addition of methanation equipment to upgrade synthetic gas into renewable natural gas (RNG) and the building of an on-site RNG pipeline injection point.
The company will provide further updates as Phase 1 commissioning advances and production volumes increase. The Thorold Renewable Energy Facility is structured as a limited partnership with the BMI Group, of which CHAR Tech is a 50% owner.
The facility is designed to convert up to 35,000 tonnes of wood waste per year into more than 5,000 tonnes per year of biocarbon, the bulk of which is expected to be used locally by ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Canada’s largest flat-roll steel producer, under a 2023 offtake agreement to reduce fossil-based carbon in the steelmaking process.
