Expander Energy Secures Approval for Wheatland Bio-Synfuel Facility

Expander Energy Inc has secured environmental approval for the first phase of its Wheatland Bio-Synfuel Facility, located near Calgary, Alberta. The approval, granted under the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, paves the way for the construction of a facility that is set to produce 8.3 million liters of renewable Bio-Synthetic fuel annually.

The company has identified an urgent, near-term demand for second-generation Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) that does not compete with food products for resources or pricing. In response, Expander is planning to expand the bio-syngas generating capacity and a Fischer-Tropsch (FT) unit, which could boost the facility’s total capacity to 36 million liters per year of renewable bio-synthetic fuels. This larger scale facility will utilize alternative feedstocks such as agricultural residues, sewage sludge, and used railway ties, transforming them into clean fuels.

The expanded facility will employ Expander’s patented Enhanced Biomass to Liquids (EBTL®) technology. Key highlights include the processing of up to 112,000 dry tonnes of landfill-redirected wood waste per year. The plant will yield 36 million liters annually of Bio-SynJet® (SAF), Bio-SynDiesel® (RD), Renewable Naphtha, and Bio-Wax. The project aims to displace fossil fuels, resulting in a net avoidance of up to 100,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, with the potential to achieve a net-negative lifecycle carbon intensity as low as -15 gCO2e/MJ.

"Regulatory approval, along with secured land and feedstock, are key elements in securing both government and private project financing," stated Steve Kresnyak, Executive Vice President and CTO of Expander Energy Inc. "We will continue to share more details as these partnerships are finalized, with the target of delivering price-competitive, second-generation GFT SAF for aviation in 2029."

The Wheatland project is part of a pipeline of developments planned for Alberta and Northern British Columbia, leveraging the readily available biomass and carbon sequestration infrastructure in these regions. Expander aims to advance project development to secure funding in late 2026, targeting commercial production by 2029. Once complete, the Wheatland facility will serve as a global showcase for next-generation bio-synthetic fuel production.

Expander Energy Inc, based in Calgary, Alberta, has developed a patented suite of transportation fuel production technologies to convert biomass, captured carbon, and low Carbon Intensity electricity into "fossil free" low life cycle carbon intensity synthetic diesel fuel (Bio-SynDiesel®) and synthetic kerosene jet fuel (Bio-SynJet®). The company’s Bio-Energy Carbon Capture and Sequestration (BECCS) solution utilizes cellulosic biomass to produce next-generation low CI synthetic fuels while efficiently capturing bio-carbon for geologic sequestration.