Pinnacle Renewable Energy Announces New Off-take Contract in Japan

/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES/

VANCOUVER, Oct. 17, 2019 /CNW/ - Pinnacle Renewable Energy ("Pinnacle" or the "Company") (TSX: PL) today announced that it has entered into a new long-term, take-or-pay off-take contract with Mitsui & Co. Ltd. ("Mitsui"), a large, diversified trading company in Japan. Under the terms of the contract, Pinnacle will supply 100,000 metric tons per annum of industrial wood pellets to Mitsui beginning in Q3 2023. The industrial wood pellets will be used by a biomass power generation plant in Japan.

"We are pleased to enter into this new relationship with Mitsui and our fourth contract with Asian customers this year," said Robert McCurdy, Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle. "Our growing order book in Japan underscores both Japan's strong commitment to decarbonization and the strength of our competitive position in this market. We are also pleased to support the B.C. economy through our growing exports of industrial wood pellets to Asia."

"I am excited about this new partnership between Pinnacle Renewable Energy and Mitsui & Co, which uses B.C. wood waste to generate good jobs in B.C. and power clean, renewable electricity in Japan," said John Horgan, Premier of B.C.

Japan is a supportive market for renewable energy, targeting 3.7% to 4.6% from biomass or 20 million MTPA in pellet equivalent terms, providing Pinnacle with a compelling opportunity to continue growing in this market.

About Pinnacle
Pinnacle is a rapidly growing industrial wood pellet manufacturer and distributor and the third largest producer in the world. The Company produces sustainable fuel for renewable electricity generation in the form of industrial wood pellets. This fuel is used by large-scale thermal power generators as a greener alternative to coal that allows them to produce reliable baseload renewable power. Pinnacle is a trusted supplier to its customers, who require reliable, high-quality fuel supply to maximize utilization of their facilities. Pinnacle takes pride in its industry leading safety practices. The Company operates eight industrial wood pellet production facilities in western Canada and one in Alabama, with a further plant under construction in Alberta. The Company also owns a port terminal in Prince Rupert, B.C.  Pinnacle has entered into long-term take-or-pay contracts with utilities in the U.K., Europe and Asia that represent 100% of its announced production capacity through 2021 and 108% of its announced production capacity through 2026.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws in Canada. Forward-looking information may relate to Pinnacle's future financial outlook and anticipated events or results and may include information regarding its financial position, business strategy, growth strategies, budgets, operations, financial results, taxes, dividend policy, plans and objectives. Particularly, information regarding the Company's expectations of future results, performance, achievements, prospects or opportunities or the markets in which it operates is forward-looking information. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "targets", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "an opportunity exists", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "outlook", "forecasts", "projection", "prospects", "strategy", "intends", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will", "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, intentions, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts but instead represent management's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events or circumstances. If any of the opinions, estimates or assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results or future events might vary materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information. The Company has no obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities laws in Canada. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information as a result of various factors, including those described in "Risk Factors" which are described in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form ("AIF") filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

We caution that the list of risk factors and uncertainties is not exhaustive and other factors could also adversely affect our results. Readers are urged to consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions carefully in evaluating the forward-looking information and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such information. See "Forward-looking Information" and "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent AIF and its Management's Discussion & Analysis for Q2 2019 available on SEDAR for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements.

SOURCE Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc.