BIOMASS TO GIVE N.H. 60-70 MEGAWATTS

All week a particular southern Senator has been complaining that his state can't produce renewable energy because it doesn't have wind. This story might help him understand there are other renewables.

Laidlaw Energy and Partners Moving Forward with Plans to Build a 60-70 Megawatt Biomass-Energy Plant in Berlin, N.H.
Michael B. Bartoszek, June 19, 2007 (Business Wire via Yahoo Finance)

WHO
Laidlaw Energy Group, Inc. (LLEG), President/CEO Michael Bartoszek; Triangle Equities, President Lester Petracca; North American Dismantling, Inc., Fraser Paper Mill
Does the Senator have something against jobs? (click to enlarge)

WHAT
LLEG and Triangle are purchasing assets of the paper mill from North American Dismantling to convert it into a 60-70 megawatt biomass energy plant.

WHEN
- Purchase announced June 19. Expected to begin operations in late 2008 or early 2009.
- Paper mill closed in 2006. Its Babcock and Wilcox boiler was installed in 1993.

WHERE
- The paper mill/biomass plant is in Berlin, New Hampshire, a town in the state’s heavily forested north.
- LLEG is based in New York City, Triangle is based in Whitestone, New York.
WHY
- Northern New Hampshire is abundant with forest biomass. The mill processed 1 million tons/year and the energy plant plans to handle 650,000 tons/year. The Babcock and Wilcox boiler in the plant will produce 60 to 70 megawatts of biomass energy/year.
- The facility will employ 40 and provide the region with 500 jobs in trucking and wood chip supply. Local goods and service providers will also benefit.
- The plant is expected to qualify to offset its emissions through the sale of Renewable Energy Credits under both the state and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) programs. New Hampshire’s RPS calls for 16% of electricity from renewables by 2025.
Surely the Senator's state has garbage?
QUOTES
Bartoszek: "We are excited about embarking on this new relationship with Triangle and its President, Lester Petracca…Lester and Triangle bring to the table significant financial resources and experience in the development of major capital projects. We expect they will be particularly helpful in working with the parties in their pursuit of development options for the balance of the site not occupied by the contemplated biomass-energy plant…Our vision for this site is called the Berlin Bio-Commerce Park, whereby we bring together home-grown resources to fuel not only one of the largest and most environmentally advanced power generation facilities in the United States, but also to attract new green manufacturing businesses to the region to take advantage of this low cost source of energy…"