Blog

May 2018 project update

We hope you’ve been well since we last spoke.  The ZooShare team has been hard at work together with our partners at Miller Waste Systems to move the project forward. Our goal is to work diligently to achieve the Commercial Operation Date as defined by our Feed-in Tariff (FIT) renewable power contract and continue to build and commission the project in the months following. The path forward has unfortunately been complicated due to the fact that we were not successful in either our grant application with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities or our request for low-interest debt from the City of Toronto. Having said that, myself and the Board continue to do everything we can to proceed with the project, as was the direction provided to us by the membership at the 2017 AGM. The good news continues to be that there is a viable path forward due in no small part to the strong support we have continued to receive from corporate partners like Miller Waste & Bullfrog Power.
To update you on the project and our activities over the last couple of months:

  • Worked with our vendor for the Combined Heat and Power unit to ensure we had all the specifications right and confirmed the timeline for delivery.  At this point, it is scheduled to arrive from Europe around May 11th. This will give us sufficient time to connect it and meet the FIT deadline.
  • In relation to the above point, we are actively working with an electrical engineering firm and Toronto Hydro to source the complementary equipment needed to export the power to the grid.  These two organizations, together with Miller and our structural engineers will also oversee the construction activities necessary to connect and meet the requirements of the FIT contract.
  • Building permit applications have been submitted to the City of Toronto and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. We expect construction activity to begin on the site in late May.
  • On the funding side, as stated above, we were not successful with the applications made in 2017.  While disappointing and quite unfortunate, we continue to march onwards in the same cautious manner – prioritizing the work and spending that allows us to maintain the FIT contract, at the same time as applying for other grant programs.  In March, we applied to the federal EcoAction Community Grant Program, and this month we will be submitting applications to the GreenON Challenge Fund (provincial) and Low Carbon Economy Fund (federal).  Once these are submitted, we’ll then look to apply for any other programs that may be a fit.
  • Concurrently with this work, we have been working with a prospective lender to complete due diligence and get approval for a long-term loan to replace the Miller construction loan once construction is complete.  These discussions are progressing positively, and we are confident that it will get done by the end of May.

Zooming out a little from the challenges of getting the FIT project off the ground this year, a lot is changing around us.  The upcoming provincial and municipal elections, as well as new policies announced by the Province related to organic waste diversion, should make for an interesting couple of months.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have in the meantime.
Thank you for your ongoing support.

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