Projects

Ongoing & Future Initiatives...

Northern Resources Diversification Centre

Since October 2006, SABRI, GNPDC, and the St. Anthony Campus of the College of the North Atlantic (CNA), along with other community partners, INTRD and ACOA have been involved with a feasibility assessment process regarding the establishment of the Northern Resources Diversification Centre (NRDC). The idea of the NRDC, as a college-based research and innovation centre, was first proposed in the fall of 2005.

It would be the mandate of the NRDC to conduct applied research and provide facilitating resources to support new innovative enterprise creation. The Centre would also establish extensive network relationships with a variety of other technical and business resources located within the community college system, university, government and industry. The NRDC would undertake strategic research, provide technical assistance, and help in the commercialization of new products and services with the intent of creating new businesses, strengthening existing businesses, and serving as an expert local resource.

The ongoing feasibility assessment process is intended to provide direction on the establishment of the NRDC.

Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic digestion is the breakdown of organic waste (any animal or plant waste material resulting from the production or processing of forestry, agricultural, or animal/fish-based products) in a system which is completely absent of oxygen. In 2006 SABRI partnered with North of Fifty Thirty Association (NOFTA) and brought together a steering committee made up of the Great Northern Peninsula Development Corporation (GNPDC), Nortip, Northern Peninsula Business Network (NPDN), Innovation, Trade & Rural Development (INTRD), and Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to discuss the viability of such an operation on the Northern Peninsula.

A consultant was contracted and feasibility study has been completed. The steering committee is continuing to finalize documentation prior to moving forward with this initiative. There are 12,000 metric tonnes of shrimp offal being dumped at sea or in landfills from St. Anthony to Port aux Choix alone. The process is one that would combine the offal with wood waste which would give you and end result of excellent compost. This process produces methane gas which can be used to produce electricity that could potentially be sold to the grid. Anaerobic digestion would be a very environmentally friendly way to dispose of the shrimp offal while producing useful substances which can be sold for revenue.