BIOFUELS FACILITIES APPROVED FOR $12.5 MILLION IN PROVINCIAL FUNDING

ENSASK Biofuels Ltd. in Tisdale and North West Bio-Energy Ltd. in Unity have both been approved for a conditionally repayable contribution of up to $10 million and $2.5 million respectively under the Saskatchewan Biofuels Investment Opportunity (SaskBIO) Program.

"Today is a very important day for these two facilities, as it edges them one step closer toward completing their projects," Regional Economic and Co-operative Development Minister Lon Borgerson said. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their commitment and investment in the biofuels industry, and I wish them luck as they continue their journey."

"Today's announcement represents a significant step forward for ENSASK Biofuels, and even more so for the producers and investors who want to fully participate in the growing ethanol industry in our province," ENSASK Biofuels CEO James Leier said. "This is a positive signal to those who, like us, believe regional investment in projects such as ENSASK are pivotal to the future of rural Saskatchewan."

"Minister Borgerson and the Government of Saskatchewan need to be congratulated for the leadership demonstrated through the SaskBIO Program," General Manager of North West Bio-Energy Ltd. Jason Skinner said. "Through projects like ours, the SaskBIO program creates the mechanism to allow farmers and rural communities to participate in and profit from the new opportunities presented by the biofuels industry."

North West Bio-Energy Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of North West Terminal Ltd., a farmer-owned inland grain terminal located one mile east of Unity, Saskatchewan. North West Bio-Energy Ltd. was established for the purpose of constructing and operating a 25-million litre per year fuel-ethanol facility.

ENSASK Biofuels Ltd. was established in 2006 to develop a wheat ethanol facility in North eastern Saskatchewan. The facility, scheduled to open in 2009, expects to produce 100-million litres of ethanol per year.

The Saskatchewan Biofuels Investment Opportunity Program, administered by the Department of Regional Economic and Co-operative Development, is a four-year, $80 million provincial program that provides repayable contributions of up to $10 million per project for the construction or expansion of transportation biofuels production facilities in Saskatchewan. The program was created to provide farmers and communities the opportunity to participate through investment in the value-added biofuels industry, and began accepting applications in August, 2007.

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For more information, contact:

Jenna Robertson
Regional Economic and Co-operative Development
Regina
Phone: 306-787-2359
Email: jroberts@agr.gov.sk.ca