POWERWOOD Canada buys 175 acres in Alberta to build rail spur for black biofuel pellets

In Canada, POWERWOOD Canada Corp has agreed the purchase of 175 acres of land in northern Alberta from Mackenzie County to construct a rail spur for transporting advanced black biofuel pellets to Canada’s tidewater.

The parcel of land, located in Mackenzie Highway Industrial Area near High Level, will see 3500m (11,400ft) of track looped and linked to the county’s main freight rail system. It will support loading and locomotive depots and serve open-top unit trains (of 100 x 60ft cars) with advanced black pellets from two production facilities to be located in the county. Plans show the company’s rail spur joining Canadian National Railway Company track on the Hay River Line between Hay River, NWT and Roma JCT, AB.

Calgary-based PowerWood Canada Corp agreed its C$1.1M land acquisition from Mackenzie County in late December 2025 and will break ground on its ‘Peace River’ plant east of La Crete in late spring 2026. The company’s second ‘Hay Meadow’ plant will be constructed south of High Level in 2027.