New president at the helm of Biofuels Council

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

She says the challenges are many, but so are the opportunities.

Judie Dyck, the new president of the Saskatchewan Biofuels Development Council (SBDC), is optimistic about the future of the industry in Saskatchewan, but realistic about the work ahead.

An agrologist and past co-chair of the Saskatchewan Biodiesel Task Force, Dyck says the SBDC will bring the efforts to build an ethanol and biodiesel industry in Saskatchewan under one umbrella organization.

She feels there are a number of advantages to combining the two efforts, beyond the cost savings of having just one organization spearheading the effort.

“I think it was good to initially keep things separate, because there are some differences between ethanol and biodiesel, and the industries were at different stages. Ethanol is much further ahead than biodiesel,” Dyck noted.

“However, it now makes sense to pull them together. There are only so many associations and so many resources and, for example, when you are dealing with government, you can now approach them as a single entity with a consistent message.”

The SBDC is the successor of the Saskatchewan Ethanol Development Council.

“The SBDC’s goal is to develop an inclusive and comprehensive biofuels industry that employs a diversity of feedstock and technologies towards establishing Saskatchewan as a leader in biofuels production in Canada,” Dyck explained.

She says there is no shortage of tasks ahead for the new organization.

“I look forward to the new challenge and working with both industries, pulling them both under one umbrella and moving them forward. I am very passionate about the industry and I think there are still a lot of opportunities,” Dyck said. “There is a lot of hard work ahead, too. But if it was easy, everybody would be doing it.”

Those challenges include finding new markets beyond our own borders.

“If you look at ethanol, the three existing plants we have already meet the Saskatchewan mandate, so we will have to be looking for markets outside the province,” she stated. “That is critical, because if you don’t have the ability to market the product, you are going to have a hard time going to the bank.”

On the biodiesel side of the equation, Dyck is confident that construction of new plants will get underway by next year.

“There is interest in building biodiesel plants in this province. The feasibility studies will dictate what the producers will be able to build, and their ability to market will dictate the size,” she said.

“One of the challenges is that the players are all at different stages. Some are just starting and other groups are already raising capital. It’s an enormous task, but we are well on our way.”

For more information, contact:
Judie Dyck, President
Saskatchewan Biofuels Development Council
(306) 221-6954