Mississaugas of the Credit Business Corporation and HOPA Ports Partner to Restart Hamilton Biodiesel Facility

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PATH TO RESTART

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Following a period of inactivity, the plant is now positioned for reactivation under new Indigenous-led ownership and operational leadership.

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Biidaaban Renewable Energy has secured the necessary arrangements to assume operations of the facility, including a long-term lease for the lands, building, and plant assets, enabling a restart of biodiesel production.

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The partners intend to restart operations later this summer, following final preparations and commissioning of the facility.

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STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE FOR ONTARIO AND CANADA

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The Hamilton biodiesel facility has long been recognized as a strategic asset for domestic fuel production, supporting Ontario’s energy security, emissions reduction goals, and economic resilience. The Biidaaban facility is expected to reduce approximately 130,000 tonnes of CO₂e emissions annually, equivalent to removing more than 28,000 passenger vehicles from the road each year.

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Prior to its shutdown by former U.S.-based owners, the facility produced biodiesel from a mix of agricultural and waste-based feedstocks. The restart of operations will help rebuild domestic production capacity, reduce reliance on imported fuels, and support Canadian agricultural producers and circular economic supply chains.

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ROLE OF HOPA PORTS

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When market conditions shifted and the facility’s future became uncertain, the Hamilton biodiesel plant, the jobs, and economic activity it supported faced a period of real vulnerability.

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As the owner of the lands, HOPA Ports stepped in to acquire the plant, stabilize and preserve the site, ensuring that this critical piece of energy infrastructure was not lost. Through a period of market disruption, HOPA supported and maintained the facility, bridging the gap until a viable path forward could be established.

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HOPA’s intervention allowed the site to transition to a new operator, positioning the project for long-term success and renewed economic activity on port lands.

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“HOPA’s objective has always been to protect this critical energy infrastructure and ensure it remains part of Canada’s energy future,” said Ian Hamilton, President & CEO, HOPA Ports. “By preserving the facility through a challenging period, we’ve been able to support a transition to new ownership that secures jobs, strengthens domestic production capacity, and puts the asset back to work for the region.” HOPA also had a vision of reconciliation with the MCFN as the Treaty Rights Holder added Hamilton. “Based on our shared values, we entered into a memorandum of understanding with MCBC with the intent of identifying how HOPA can work together with MCBC in the spirit of collaboration and partnership, and the future of the biodiesel facility was an obvious fit.”

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A MODEL FOR PARTNERSHIP

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Biidaaban represents a partnership-driven approach to energy infrastructure, combining Indigenous leadership, public sector support, and private-sector expertise to deliver a commercially viable and environmentally sustainable outcome.

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With preparations well underway, the restart of Biidaaban is expected to contribute to Canada’s clean fuels transition while demonstrating the value of collaboration in advancing both economic reconciliation and sustainable development.

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The facility is expected to begin operations later this summer.

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