Ethanol
The biofuel that's already powering your car and Canada's economy.
From renewable crops to power
Ethanol is an essential component of the domestic gasoline market and an effective way to decarbonize the transportation sector. Made using primarily renewable crops like corn and wheat, up to 10% of this renewable fuel can be found in your gasoline today, with plans to increase to 15% by 2030. Technologies are also emerging to produce ethanol from agricultural residue, woody biomass, and even municipal solid waste. Today, more than 50 countries around the world have ethanol mandates.
1.8B Litres
of ethanol are produced in Canada annually (as of 2024) and demand is increasing every year.
10%-15%
Gasoline currently contains up to 10% ethanol in Canada. By 2030, the market is expected to transition to a 15% ethanol blend.
5,700
full-time jobs across the country in the ethanol industry.
$3.7B
in annual economic impact.
How ethanol is helping Canada
Ethanol does more than just help cut down carbon emissions by replacing fossil fuels-it's also a big win for the Canadian economy. It creates jobs in rural areas and contributes to domestic energy security.
By 2030, Canada's ethanol demand is expected to reach 5 billion litres per year-a big leap with significant benefits. Even with planned production increases, Canada would still need to import approximately 3 billion litres, so there's substantial room for growth in our domestic ethanol industry. This gap is an opportunity for continued innovation in non-food crop farming methods as well as other type of renewable feedstock to supply this demand.
SUPPLY & DEMAND
Canadian demand for ethanol is soaring- projected to increase 50% from 2022 levels, to an impressive 5 billion litres annually by 2030.
Made in Canada
Facilities currently producing ethanol
Greenfield Global
Tiverton, ON • Chatham, ON • Johnstown, ON • Varennes, QC
Cenovus
Lloydminster, SK• Minnedosa, MB
Suncor
Sarnia-Lambton, ON
Co-op
Belle Plaine, SK
IGPC Ethanol Inc
Aylmer, ON
Kawartha Ethanol Inc
Havelock, ON
North West Bio-Energy
Unity, SK
Permolex
Red Deer, AB
Pound-Maker Agventures
Lanigan, SK
Why we're building a network of change
Fuel Forward was created to talk about low-carbon fuel options and innovative technologies in Canada that are transforming your existing transportation fuel into a solution; so that you can have confidence in the choices you make every day. We're not just aiming for short-term wins.
We're building a community of like-minded Canadians who will help us turn those solutions into tangible action.
