About 100 construction jobs will be created in Thunder Bay during the first phase of a proposed $9-billion power generation plant. Officials from St. Louis-based SynFuel Technologies unveiled their plans for the facility during a June 13 news conference. The facility will be located at Valley Camp Terminals on the Fort William First Nations. Phase 1 of the 120-megawatt gasification plant will generate 100 jobs and between 16 and 20 positions to operate it. The second phase, a 500-megawatt expansion, will be complete by November 2005, creating 1,000 construction jobs and between 100 and 125 operating positions.
The proposed generation plant uses petroleum byproducts as a fuel source. The company insists the fuel will burn cleaner than coal and natural gas, but has hired an independent company to determine whether the sulphur and slag will meet environmental standards. A test is planned for July 2.
