In the story ' Pinnacle Pellet undergoes quarterly emissions stack test' published in the Lakes District News' July 2, 2014, edition, Pinnacle Pellet had invested $5 million in a new wet electrostatic precipitator (WESP) scrubber. The new WESP system uses electrostatic energy to trap wet particles in the piping.
The reason for the investment was that the company had routinely failed to pass the ministry of environment's emissions stack test - an air test that is focused on the level of particle emissions.
Although efforts had been made to improve on the old system, Pinnacle Pellet repeatedly failed to pass the air quality control tests, and had come under scrutiny by residents in the surrounding area.
A web poll conducted by Lakes District News in 2014 showed that 62.5 per cent of those who answered the poll question were skeptical of Pinnacle Pellet's ability to pass the air quality control tests.
But the $5 million investment has paid off.
According to the Ministry of Environment, since the WESP scrubber was implemented in May 2014, the pellet plant has not exceeded their permit limits for emissions.
“Plant is operating well,” said Leroy Reitsma, President of Pinnacle Pellet. “Tests have been good on the WESP system.”
Pinnacle Pellet's plant in Burns Lake is the largest of the company's six B.C. plants with the capacity to produce 400,000 metric tonnes of product annually. The five other wood pellet plants located in B.C. are in Armstrong, Strathnaver, Williams Lake, Quesnel and Houston, and the company's offices are located in Prince George and Vancouver.