Bioénergies — Implementation

Who is eligible?

• Commercial sector companies
• Institutional sector organizations
• Municipal sector organizations
• Industrial sector companies
• Manufacturing sector companies
• Agricultural sector enterprises
• Agri-food sector enterprises

Eligible expenses

• The cost of purchasing and upgrading equipment, including additional costs for replacing end-of-life equipment compared to conventional equipment.
• Engineering, installation, commissioning, and measurement costs performed by in-house or contracted personnel.
• Costs of measurement, quantification, and verification by an external consultant, both before and after equipment installation (for existing sites).
• Additional equipment purchase costs compared to conventional equipment (for new sites).
• Additional engineering, installation, and commissioning costs compared to traditional approaches (for new sites).
• Post-installation measurement costs, including expenses related to GHG quantification (for new sites).
• Purchase orders issued up to 30 calendar days before the application submission date are accepted as eligible expenses.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Production losses, waste, and other losses caused by project activities.
• Taxes and duties of any kind.
• Maintenance expenses.
• Upgrades to comply with standards, laws, or regulations.
• Land purchases, energy purchases, and application preparation costs.

Eligible geographic areas

• Sites located in Quebec, Canada.

• Demonstration of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction through the use of bioenergy replacing fossil fuels.
• Consideration of the CO2 emissions dynamics over time compared to a reference scenario to ensure positive short-term climate impact.
• Compliance with the principle of "additionality", requiring measurable and above-normal impact.
• Financial assistance calculation based on eligible expenses, minimum payback period, and annual GHG emissions avoided (in tonnes), with the lowest of the three determining the final amount.

Here are the steps to submit an application for this grant:

• Step 1: Initial Application Preparation
• Complete the Financial Assistance Request Form, pages 1, 2, and 3.1.
• Sign and date the PDF version of the Financial Assistance Request Form by an authorized signatory.
• Prepare the Project Plan and have it signed and dated by an engineer.
• Prepare the Monitoring Plan signed and dated by an engineer.
• Send all required documents via email to: transitionenergetique@mern.gouv.qc.ca.
• Step 2: Application Evaluation
• Wait for the assignment of a program officer who will evaluate your application.
• If your application meets the criteria, receive a spending eligibility date allowing project commencement.
• Note the acceptance of purchase orders issued up to 30 days prior to the spending eligibility date.
• Step 3: Agreement Confirmation
• Upon full evaluation and eligibility confirmation, receive and complete the Conditions of Agreement document.
• Receive notification of the maximum financial assistance amount available.
• Sign the agreement sent for completion by both parties.
• Step 4: Initial Payment Processing
• Provide an updated Financial Assistance Request Form with page 3.1 completed.
• Update the Monitoring Plan if necessary.
• Submit initial purchase orders, invoices, and internal expense declarations.
• Receive the first payment, which is 25% of the approved financial assistance, based on agreement terms.
• Step 5: Mid-Project Reporting
• Upon completion of more than 50% of the project, provide a Progress Report signed and dated by an engineer.
• Update and submit the Financial Assistance Request Form with page 3.1 filled in.
• Update the Monitoring Plan if necessary.
• Submit invoices and an internal expense declaration.
• Receive the second payment of 25% after document compliance confirmation by MELCCFP.
• Step 6: Project Commissioning
• Once project and measures implementation are complete (within 36 months of agreement start date), provide a Commissioning Report signed by an engineer.
• Update and submit the Financial Assistance Request Form with page 3.1.
• Update the Monitoring Plan if necessary.
• Submit invoices and an internal expense declaration.
• Receive the third payment of 25% upon document compliance validation by MELCCFP.
• Step 7: GHG Reduction Measurement
• Conduct measurement and collect data showing GHG emission reduction compared to project baseline.
• Submit a Project Report signed by an engineer.
• Provide the updated Financial Assistance Request Form with pages 2, 3.1, and 4 completed.
• Submit invoices and an internal expense declaration.
• Receive the final payment, representing the residual recalculated maximum financial assistance, after document compliance approval by MELCCFP.
• Step 8: Annual Follow-up
• Participate in an annual follow-up with MELCCFP until the end of the agreement.
• Submit a completed implementation follow-up form and provide an annual update throughout the agreement duration.

• Applications are reviewed after a complete file is received.
• If the project meets the program criteria, an expense eligibility date is issued.
• The applicant is informed of the maximum aid amount and receives the agreement for signature.
• Payments are released after compliance checks for the required reports and documents.
• Annual follow-up is required until the end of the agreement.

• The project must be completed within a maximum period of 36 months following the effective date of the agreement.
• An annual update report must be provided to the Ministry for the duration of the agreement.
• The documents must be signed by an engineer who is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ), and an authorized signatory listed in the Quebec Enterprise Register (REQ) must sign the official application.
• Purchase orders issued up to 30 calendar days prior to the application's submission date are accepted as eligible.