Investors looking at East Texas for biomass sites

[jpak]

http://www.lufkindailynews.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/10/26/biomass_folo.html

Biomass "green power" is catching the attention of investors, who in turn are looking at the Pineywoods.

When the Texas Forest Service in 2005 reported the Pineywoods' timber industry yielded 109.9 million cubic feet of logging "residue" and 6.38 million tons of mill "residue" in 2004, it got the attention of Aspen Power LLC which is considering construction of a 45-megawatt wood waste-fired biomass power plant in northwest Lufkin — selling electricity to Coral Power.

"Aspen recognizes that wood fuel is the critical component associated with the project," and their application for tax-exempt bonds states that the company has identified "1.2 million tons of ongoing mill residue produced within a 100-mile radius of Lufkin. This alone should be sufficient to fuel the proposed power generating facility."

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[tk2kewl]

1. They sould look to Crawford... Megatons of BS there.

[hunter]

2. Such plants have a rather tumultuous history in California.

Air pollution has always been a big problem whenever operators have cut corners to remain profitable.

Of course, this probably won't be a big a problem in Texas where regulators tend to ignore such things.

In 2005 such plants produced about 6,000 gigawatt-hours in California, or about 2% of the gross system electricity production.

http://www.energy.ca.gov/electricity/gross_system_power.html

[jpak]

3. In Maine, they have an excellent track record and provide ~25% of the state's

electricity.

It's also another revenue stream for the state's beleaguered forestry products industry.

[hunter]

4. Ah yes, in Maine, where carpet remnants grow on trees...

I'll bet things like carpet remnants start growing on trees in Texas too.

I don't think incineration of construction wastes and other stuff that would otherwise go to landfills is a bad thing if it's done with care, but in the U.S. you have to sneak it in the side door. NIMBY rules.

[jpak]

5. Construction and demolition wastes?? Nope

low-grade/unmerchantable timber wastes, sawmill and and wood products factory wastes - yup.

Dirigo...

:evilgrin:

[hunter]

6. I'm too far from Maine to look, but there's this:

AGENCY: 06-096 - Maine Department of Environmental Protection
CHAPTER NUMBER AND TITLE: Ch. 402 (Transfer Station and Storage Sites for Solid Waste); Ch. 405 (Water Quality Monitoring, Leachate Monitoring, and Waste Characterization); Ch. 409 (Processing Facilities); and Ch. 418 (Beneficial Use of Solid Waste)
ADOPTED RULE NUMBER: 2006-255 through 258
CONCISE SUMMARY: The Department of Environmental Protection revised Ch. 402, Ch. 405, Ch. 409 and Ch. 418 of the Maine Solid Waste Management Rules. The changes primarily apply to the separation, processing, testing and combustion of wood separated from construction and demolition debris to be used as a fuel by biomass boilers. These revisions establish new standards and requirements for separating usable wood from other potential contaminants, for storing and processing this wood into fuel, and for the utilization of this wood as a fuel substitute for up to 50% of a biomass boiler facility's fuel use.
This rule also establishes a transition provision that requires previously licensed beneficial uses of wood from construction and demolition debris to comply with the new regulatory provision by July 31, 2006.
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 16, 2006
AGENCY CONTACT PERSON: Jim S. Glasgow, Department of Environmental Protection, 17 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0017
TELEPHONE: [phone]
E-MAIL: [e-mail]

http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/notices/2006/062106.htm

What I gather from quick research is that Maine power plants have been supplanting your "low-grade/unmerchantable timber wastes, sawmill and and wood products factory wastes" with other sorts of materials for quite some time now, and this law formalizes that practice.

You really do have to keep a close eye on the corporations running these plants. It increases their profits to use the least expensive fuels they can find, and some of these fuels are not so benign as others.

If I read this correctly, as of June 16th, Maine has said it's okay to use up to 50% construction and demolition debris as fuel.

[jpak]

7. Sorry - >85% of the wood wastes used by Maine biomass power plants

are either saw mill residues or forest product industry wastes.

In 2004, Maine biomass power plants consumed 3 million tons of wood waste - only 0.3 million tons of this were CDD.

The recent "50% CDD" rule promulgated by the ME DEP was in response to an out-of-state company interested in burning 100% CDD at a plant in Athens Maine.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2006/05/03/governor_signs_emergency_bill_to_limit_demolition_debris_burning/

There are NO biomass power plants in Maine currently qualified to burn 50% CDD and they could not do so without major upgrades in emissions equipment.

The company that proposed the CDD incinerator in Athens ME initially told the town that they would only burn small volumes of CDD, then tried to pull a fast one on them by requesting a permit for 100% CDD.

The town revolted and enacted a moratorium on the construction of CDD incinerators...

http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/2940748.shtml

I am quite confident that Maine won't be burning large quantities of CDD in the future.

[hunter]

8. "0.3 million tons" is a nice way of saying 600 million pounds. It all adds up.

From your source:

Some 600 million pounds of construction and demolition debris were burned in biomass boilers in Maine in 2004. The state Department of Environmental Protection says more than 80 percent of the total came from out-of-state sources.

And then they make this 50% rule...

But thanks, it's good to know someone is watching. Texas, I don't know...

Here's a carpet remnant link I found....

http://www.industcards.com/biomass-usa-me.htm