Certarus, a Calgary-based compressed natural gas company, is investing $54 million to build two sites and provide 41 jobs to service off-grid industry in Northern Ontario.
According an Oct. 11 news release from the Timmins Economic Development Corporation (TEDC), the company is expanding into Ontario with “hubs” to be developed in Timmins and Red Rock to provide mines and mills with a cleaner and affordable alternative to diesel and propane for heat and power generation.
The hubs will create 25 permanent jobs in Timmins and 16 in Red Rock, with 5 to 10 seasonal jobs during peak seasons when these centres operate at full capacity. The annual payroll is estimated at $3 million. The construction phase will put 10 to 15 people to work.
No construction or operational timelines were included in the release.
"We are excited to be expanding into Ontario with our first CNG hub on Highway 101 East in Timmins,” said Certarus vice-president Nathan Ough in a statement released through the EDC.
“The mining and forestry sectors will provide a diversified client base for Certarus and allow us to continue to grow. We are seeing an increasing adoption of CNG to displace diesel, propane and bunker oil to promote cost savings and reduce environmental footprints. Certarus operates the largest bulk CNG trailer fleet in North America and has built over 15 bulk CNG compression facilities across North America."
“The Timmins Economic Development Corporation provided invaluable assistance in understanding the industrial sectors and connecting us with the resources we needed to establish our hub in Timmins.”
The development corporation assisted the company with the site selection process.
“We’re glad to see this investment in Timmins and we’re looking forward to seeing how this service can help improve operations and reduce the environmental footprint of our mines and mills,” added TEDC chair Fred Gibbons.
According to the company’s website, Certarus constructs these hubs that source gas from producer-owned plants and pipelines that it partners with.
With offices throughout Alberta, Texas and Colorado, the company works in oil and gas, mining, forestry, asphalt, power generation, pipeline and disaster relief.
