25+ years of innovation and perseverance
Enerkem’s story began with a shared conviction between a father, Esteban Chornet, Professor Emeritus at the Université de Sherbrooke, and his son, Vincent Chornet.
As early as 2000, they saw waste not as an end, but as a beginning. A green gold mine with the potential to produce the essential molecules of tomorrow.
A story of growth
-
2000
Laboratory beginnings
Esteban and Vincent Chornet found Enerkem Inc. At the time, Enerkem operates out of a laboratory at the Université de Sherbrooke.
-
2003
Pilot plant
A fully operational facility is launched, allowing Enerkem to test its technology at pilot scale and pave the way for the design of a full-scale facility.
-
2009
Demonstration
The Westbury plant marks a key milestone in scaling up Enerkem’s technology. Initially dedicated to syngas production, the facility later demonstrates the technology’s flexibility by producing methanol and ethanol.
-
2014
Commercial scale
The Enerkem Alberta Biofuels facility becomes the world’s first commercial-scale facility to convert municipal solid waste into biofuels, validating Enerkem’s technology at industrial scale.
-
2020
Partner validation
The announcement of the Varennes Carbon Recycling project, developed with Shell, Suncor and Proman, marks a key milestone in the commercialization of Enerkem’s technology and demonstrates the confidence placed in it by leading industry partners.
-
2025
Commercial plant
Repsol’s Ecoplanta project reaches a major milestone with the approval of its final investment decision (FID). The future plant in Spain will use Enerkem’s technology to convert non-recyclable municipal waste into renewable and circular methanol.
-
And it keeps going!
Global deployment
Enerkem continues the commercial deployment of its technology with a growing portfolio of projects under development across Europe, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and North America, helping accelerate the transition toward a circular economy.
Enerkem by the numbers
7
countries where we operate
€1.5 billion
invested in two commercial projects in Canada and Europe
120
patents protecting our intellectual property
Secure your supply today
Don’t let regulations catch up with you. Talk to our team to secure your energy transition.