Recently, Pierre Arcand, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Northern Plan, Mario Plourde , President and Chief Executive Officer of Cascades, and Mathieu Chagnon , President of Rackam, inaugurated the Alain-Lemaire Solar Park, which will supply energy to Cascades' units in Kingsey Falls .
Cascades and Rackam started work on the ground-level facility in June, installing a powerful concentrated solar power (CSP) system with a surface area of 1490 m 2 on a 4000 m 2 lot, with the aim of reducing the consumption of natural gas used to produce the hot water required for operations at the industrial complex. The project is a first in the pulp and paper industry.
Financing for the $1,073,830 project came in part from a $463,500 grant from the Ministère de l'Énergie et des Ressources naturelles du Québec. The funding came from the former Energy Innovation Assistance Program (PAIE), now part of the Technoclimat Program. Gaz Métro was also involved in the project, contributing $76,000 through its Innovation Program.
"The completion of this project is the logical outcome of the vision the Québec government has adopted concerning green energy. We are making significant efforts to support the development of new sources of clean energy, and to encourage the business community to employ these innovative energy-producing technologies. I am proud to see that our efforts are bearing fruit. The project we are inaugurating today demonstrates the skill and ingenuity of Québec entrepreneurs who are moving forward with innovative technologies that will have positive impacts on both our economy and the environment," stated Minister Arcand.
