Regulatory review ongoing for proposed Tkemlúps jet fuel plant

“We’ve engaged with the Environmental Assessment Office in the province and Environmental and Climate Change Canada at the federal level,” Gottfriedsen told CFJC Today. “We want to be complaint and make sure that we’re setting a good standard as we’re inventing industry here in B.C. for sustainable aviation fuel.”

In a Jan. 2024 news release, Azure said it was working towards developing a facility that would produce approximately 20,000 barrels of predominantly sustainable aviation fuel per day. It noted that fuel is already being used by carriers like Air Canada and WestJet.

“If anyone comes to us saying they have an opportunity to limit millions of megatons of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, I think we jump on that opportunity,” Gottfriedsen said, when asked how Tkemlúps got involved.

“I think if there is economic gain and spinoff for us to develop that, it’s an exciting chance for us to get involved. It could be a real game changer economically not just for Tkemlúps but for the entire region.”

Gottfriedsen said Tkemlúps will make a final investment decision once the regulatory process is complete. There is no word when that might happen or what the outcome will be.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said. “That 7Mile District has been in the works of development for the past 20 years, maybe 25 years. We’re really trying to take our time to make sure we’re getting the highest and best use of the land base, because we only get one shot at it.”

“We want to make sure that its a good opportunity for us.”

On its website, Azure noted access to key rail and highway infrastructure as reasons why the Kamloops area is being considered for this project. Construction was originally expected to get underway this year and Azure was hoping to produce the first barrels of fuel next year.

CFJC Today reached out to Azure for comment on next steps, but the company declined.

“We’ve been working with Tk’emlúps since about 2021,” Vanessa Vredenburg, Azure’s Director of Indigenous and Stakeholder Relations, said at a Dec. 2024 Kamloops committee meeting. “Our founders were looking along Google Maps and found this nice chunk of land along the railway and that’s where our partnership kind of started, and it’s really progressed from there.”

While there has been some pushback from residents in the Westsyde and Rayleigh area owing to concerns about pollution, odour and impacts to the environment, proponents say the project is necessary as it will bring high paying jobs to the area.

Company estimates indicate that the facility is expected to create around 1,500 jobs during construction and about 150 when it is up and running.

“We’re willing to answer any questions about concerns,” Gottfriedsen said. “Our website answers a lot of the frequently answered questions and dispels myths and rumours to make sure that people know the actual and factual impacts of having an aviation fuel plant in their community.”

Gottfriedsen confirmed that this would be the largest development in Tk’emlúps history, should it go ahead. There is also still a chance that this fuel plant is built elsewhere, so Tk’emlúps isn’t putting all its eggs into one basket just yet.

“There are going to be opportunities all over Canada,” Gottfriedsen added. “I think sustainable aviation fuel is going to be the next drop-in mixture for aviation and we’re going to have ample opportunities to inject that into the lifeblood of Canada’s economy.”

“I don’t see it being a one and done. Azure has been great to work with and we’ve been progressing forward the best of our capabilities.”

by Victor Kaisar

Regulatory review ongoing for proposed Tkemlúps jet fuel plant

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