BioAmber seeing if Canada can match DOE’s loan guarantee to build next plant in Sarnia

In Canada, BioAmber is deciding whether to set up a facility in Sarnia six-times bigger than its first installation in the city or to build the $500 million facility in Louisiana. The company has sought a $360 million loan guarantee from the US’s Department of Energy for the facility in Louisiana, but in light of a Trump presidency, it is looking for a counter-offer from the Canadians to build in Sarnia. BioAmber says similar financing programs are more fragmented in Canada and Ontario whereas in the US it is a one-stop shop. Its current Sarnia facility received $37 million in support from the federal and provincial level in the form of grants and loans.