Funding :: Eligibility :: Projects

Biofuels Opportunities for Producers Initiative

**Note: BOPI has ended and is no longer accepting applications.**

The Government of Canada is committed to requiring, nationally, 5% average renewable fuel content in transport fuel by 2010. Environment Canada is leading the development of the overall strategy to implement the goal, with support from Natural Resources Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). AAFC wants to ensure that the 5% target is implemented in ways that result in the greatest possible benefit to the agriculture sector, including significant ownership of biofuels production facilities by agricultural producers.

To help meet the 5% target, AAFC made funding of $10 million available for the fiscal year 2006/2007, and is providing and additional $3 million for 2006/2007 projects and $7 million for projects in the 2007/2008 fiscal year through the Biofuels Opportunities for Producers Initiative (BOPI). Greater involvement in biofuel production facilities will allow agricultural producers to become participants in the value chain and increase their share of the benefits from renewable fuels production beyond delivering feedstock.

In order to provide as much benefit as possible, the objective of the Initiative is to help agricultural producers in the development of sound, well documented business plans for projects that have significant producer ownership, as well as aiding to undertake feasibility or other studies to support the creation and expansion of the biofuel production capacity. The Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan (ACS) is delivering BOPI funding provided to Saskatchewan biofuels projects.