FILE PHOTO
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Wikimedia Commons/ Derek MacPherson
May 14, 2025 - 7:00 PM
Plans are in the works for a renewable fuels facility in Kamloops that would turn canola and soybean oil into low-carbon sustainable aviation fuel, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels.
Azure Sustainable Fuels Corp. is working in partnership with Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc to make the project a reality.
The facility would convert agricultural feedstocks, mainly canola, into Sustainable Aviation Fuel using a process called the Hydrotreated Esters and Fatty Acids process.
The technology has been in commercial use and in operations for several years in many facilities around the world, including facilities in North America, Azure said in a written statement sent to iNFOnews.ca. The company is exploring multiple sites including Manitoba, Ontario and Kansas but they don't have any facilities in operation.
Already used by several airlines, the sustainable aviation fuel is approved for blending up to 50% with conventional jet fuel. In contrast to fossil fuels, the renewable fuel results in fewer carbon dioxide emissions.
In December 2024, a company called Parklands became the first in Canada to produce low carbon aviation fuel at its Burnaby Refinery, producing more than 100,000 litres that was purchased by Air Canada, according to Parkland's website.
This map shows the 7Mile District development project in Kamloops with the yellow on the right indicating where a Sustainable Aviation Fuel facility is planned to go.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ 7Mile District
The Azure plant is one part of the 7Mile District development project by Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc, that aims to turn a section of the reservation into an industrial park on one side and a solar powered agricultural area on the other.
The land sits between Highway 5 and the North Thompson River, and is divided in half by the CN rail yard.
The jet fuel plant would be built on a 71-hectare heavy industrial section and include storage tanks for feedstocks and products, process units for fuel production and utilities to support process units. According to the 7Mile District Master Plan, Azure is proposing to minimize the use of fossil fuels as an energy source for process operations, and use the train to transport feedstock.
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The facility would produce roughly 20,000 barrels per day of renewable fuel, or up to 1 billion litres per year, providing for the reduction of up to 2,600,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, the master plan said. If the heavy industrial use plan proves to be unfeasible, either another industrial anchor might be chosen or a more locally focused, multi-business industrial park model built instead.
British Columbia has set a renewable fuel target for jet fuel at 1% starting in 2028 and increasing to 3% in 2030. Several countries around the world, including the United Kingdom and the European Union have set targets for minimum amount of sustainable aviation fuel requirements ranging from 2% in 2025 up to 70% in 2050, according to Azure.
The 7Mile Renewable Fuels Facility is currently undergoing community engagement, and regulatory and environmental review, and a final investment decision is expected in 2026.
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