Canadian Biogas Investments Inc. (CBI), a Calgary-based developer of dry-fermentation anaerobic digestion projects, has announced that James (Jim) B. Hartwell will take over as president, CEO and chairman of the company’s board of directors, reports Waste Today.
Hartwell, who has more than 40 years of experience in the investment sector, will be involved in CBI’s planning, operations and fundraising as the company works to expand its renewable natural gas (RNG) platform across Canada. The company said his leadership will guide its efforts to build large-scale biogas projects that deliver long-term value.
CBI holds exclusive Canadian rights to use solid-state anaerobic digestion technology from Renergon, a biogas and biogenic waste solutions firm based in Germany and Switzerland. The dry-fermentation system is designed to process feedstocks with higher dry-matter content than traditional wet digestion systems. The company’s upcoming project, expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2027, will process about 88,180 tons of cattle manure at the site and produce roughly 250,000 gigajoules of pipeline-grade RNG each year.
CBI has also confirmed the location of its first commercial facility at the Driland Feeders feedlot in Warner County, Alberta. To carry out the flagship project, the company has brought on Cana Construction of Calgary for project design and management, Obsidian Engineering as lead engineering consultant, Green Analytics of Red Deer as its environmental partner and Exp of Brampton as regulatory advisor.
Hartwell said he is pleased to join the company at a time when it is expanding its work. He said the combination of Renergon’s technology and the involvement of partners such as Driland Feeders, Cana Construction, Obsidian Engineering, Green Analytics and Exp provides a strong base for building cleaner energy and reducing methane emissions across Canada’s cattle industry.
