A conceptual drawing of the proposed fuel plant on the Tk'emlups reserve. (Image Credit: Sc.wenwen Development Corporation)

By Victor Kaisar

New Tk’emlups Fuel Plant

Proponents behind new Tk’emlups jet fuel plant promise to engage further with affected Kamloops residents

Dec 13, 2024 | 8:38 AM

KAMLOOPS — The proponents behind a large-scale jet fuel plant on Tk’emlups te Secwépemc lands say there will be lots of engagement in the months ahead with Kamloops residents, who may be impacted either directly or indirectly.

The proposed facility is slated to rise on a plot of land across the North Thompson River from Westsyde. An exact location wasn’t specified, but it’ll expected to be alongside the CN Rail tracks, south of Rayleigh.

Krista Stoesz with the Sc.wenwen Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) says there will be “targeted engagement” with Kamloops residents in Westsyde, Westmount, Batchelor Heights, and the North Shore.

“Most of our engagement has been with the Tk’emlups community but we do have a plan to do targeted engagement with the City of Kamloops neighbourhood groups that are going to be impacted visually,” Stoesz said, at the Dec. 9 Economic Health Select Committee meeting.

“[They] will probably have the most questions or concerns potentially about air quality or noise or impact to the river.”

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The proposed facility is a partnership between Azure Sustainable Fuels Corp., Tk’emlups te Secwépemc and SEDC, formerly known as the Tk’emlups Business and Economic Development department.

At this time, its not clear what the proposed plant could look like, though Azure says more detailed renderings and other information will be provided to the City of Kamloops, when its available.

“We’ve hired Stantec to complete acoustic and noise studies and air emissions and water, and we’re hoping to have those by Wednesday,” Azure’s Becky Marks said in response to a question from Councillor Mike O’Reilly.

“As for odour, as there’s no regulation for odour. We’re hoping to use a complaints-based system where, if we start getting complaints, we can mitigate those odours.”

Plant could produce thousands of barrels per day

The proposed facility will turn vegetable oils into Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which the project proponents say is already being used by carriers like Air Canada and WestJet.

“7 Mile Renewable Fuels is looking to create a dedicated renewable fuels production facility, and we would mostly be looking to develop sustainable aviation fuel,” said Vanessa Vredenburg, Azure’s Director of Indigenous and Stakeholder Relations.

“This project aligns really well with Tk’emlups values of environmental stewardship, cultural preservation and sustainable economic development.”

Image Credit: Azure Sustainable Fuels Corp/Sc.wenwen Economic Development Corporation

Vredenburg says the proposed plant will add to Azure’s proposed network of similar plants across Canada.

“We’ve been working with Tk’emlups since about 2021,” she said. “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.”

Once fully built, the Tk’emlups plant is expected to produce 20,000 barrels of low-carbon jet fuel a day.

“Obviously, we’re looking at building a facility that reduces CO2 emissions significantly but we’re looking at following all environmental regulations,” Vrendenburg said.

“[That includes] making sure that the water, the are and the noise is all at the proper levels and that we’re doing whatever we can to minimize impacts wherever we can.”

Construction may begin in 2026

Plans for a fuel plant of this kind in the Kamloops-area were first unveiled in 2022 on a plot of land closer to the Halston Connector.

“Our project actually started on what was called the Riverside lands but after realizing that it was quite landlocked, and there were some issues with accessing that area and flooding, we realized that we were better placed on the 7 Mile lands,” Vredenburg added.

“We did have a number of open houses before we got to where are now to get some of that initial feedback but we’re now at a stage where we know where our location is and we’re officially kicking off our engagement now.”

Vredenburg says construction could begin by early 2026, if the Tk’emlups project moves along as planned.

“We’re currently just finishing up our front end engineering and design study, so that should be done by the end of this year,” she said.

“We’re just about to submit regulatory applications, so that will take us into 2026, and then hoping to early next year get detailed engineering, which would move us into construction in early 2026 and a startup date of early 2028.”

Vredenburg says the project will create around 1,500 jobs during construction and about 150 when its up and running.

Delegation to present before all of Kamloops Council

Councillors on the City’s Economic Health Select Committee were asked Monday for a letter of support for the concept of the plant, but not for the plant itself.

“At this point, we’re not asking you to support the project or the development or the facility,” Stoesz added. “Obviously, none of us have enough information to make that commitment at this time.”

“We are looking for support to continue exploring and continue through the engagement process, both on the Tk’emlups side of the river, in the Kamloops community and in our surrounding communities.”

They didn’t get the letter though, as Councillor Kelly Hall suggested that all of council should be able to have their say into the proposal first.

The delegation will be going before a City of Kamloops meeting sometime in the new year.

You can find more about the proposed fuel plant project here.