Biochar Plant Planned for Belize River Valley

A facility that will produce biochar is set to open in the Belize River Valley area, with DBG Energy Limited announcing plans for an industrial-scale operation in the Burrell Boom area.

The private investment is expected to convert locally sourced biomass into biochar, a product that can be used to improve soil conditions for farmers. The company says the facility is being designed to process about seventy thousand tonnes of biomass each year, producing an estimated sixteen thousand tonnes of biochar for Belize’s sugar, citrus and banana industries.

Managing Director Joseph Ramirez says the project is intended to create jobs, make use of locally available biomass and provide an added benefit to the agricultural sector.

Joseph Ramirez, Managing Director, DBG Energy: “A biochar is an ag soil amendment that is generated by the thermal conversion of biomass into a carbon product that is used as a soil amendment for agricultural uses. The benefits for farming are increased yields, reduced input costs, and beneficial use of water as it holds about seven times its weight in water. So it makes farms more drought resilient and resistant. The major partners that I have on the project are Belizeans. Our intent is to make this a Belizean company. And of course, you know, we are very bullish about biochar and what it could potentially do for the agricultural economy of Belize. We started development of this in one form or another a few years ago. We have spoken with all of the relevant ministries, including sustainable development. There are many ministers that are that are up to speed with DBG energy as an entity.” 

DBG Energy says the approximately twenty-million-U.S.-dollar project will use biomass from purposeful cultivation, including Arundo donax, as well as invasive species that can be removed from the environment. Development is underway this year, with construction and production ramp-up targeted for 2027.  But beyond the sale of biochar, the company is also looking to earn foreign exchange through the sale of verified carbon-removal credits on the international market. DBG Energy estimates that the facility could generate more than forty-two thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent removal credits annually, with a contract already signed for the export of its products to the United States.  Ramirez says the carbon-credit component is a key part of the project’s business model and could help position Belize within the growing global green economy.

Joseph Ramirez, Managing Director, DBG Energy: “We’re pretty advanced in terms of potentially monetizing carbon credits. It is a very complex process. There are many steps to it. The first is adopting a methodology which we have. The second is identifying a buyer which takes a little bit of time. Generally, we need to have some production before we’ll generate serious interest from a potential carbon buyer. So there’s always a little bit of a timing issue at play but we’re pretty confident with both our approach, our knowledge, the partners that we have chosen on the carbon side, that this will be monetized which will be a huge benefit for the sustainability and renewable goals of Belize.”

Ramirez says the initiative has been several years in the making, with the company engaging relevant government ministers and agencies as it worked toward bringing the private-sector project to Belize.