First commercial-scale MSW-to- syngas facility opens in Ottawa

 Plasco Energy Group Inc., recently named one of Canada’s Top 10 CleanTech companies by an independent expert panel of Canadian and U.S. venture capitalists, announced in December that its Plasco Trail Road facility (PTR) in Ottawa, has completed operational and environmental testing. According to Plasco, the Trail Road Facility is the only operating commercial-scale conversion facility in the world that converts municipal solid waste into a consistent syngas than can run reciprocating gas engines to generate electricity.

Plasco will now commence the process to re-permit PTR, which is intended to be Plasco’s permanent demonstration and development centre for its commercial scale municipal solid waste conversion technology in Ottawa.

“The City of Ottawa has been a strong supporter and the birthplace of our world-leading technology,” said Rod Bryden, President and CEO of Plasco. “We are very pleased to be able to make this  commitment to continue to focus our development and demonstration activities here in Ottawa and we look forward to continued cooperation with the City.”  

Since 2007, more than $50 million has been invested by Plasco in the facility and more than $250 million of equity investment has been committed to Plasco. In addition, the PTR investment was supported by $9.6 million from Sustainable Development Technology Canada and a loan of $4 million from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. The performance of PTR has been a key factor that has positioned Plasco to successfully compete for development of MSW conversion facilities in Europe, North America and China.