industry
NEWS BioEnergy Technologies to build AD facilities A new Sumter, S.C.,-based bioenergy company will design, build and possibly own and operate on-site anaerobic digestion systems at farms or food processing facilities that generate a large amount of biowaste and high-energy density waste, such as fats, oil and grease. Established this past summer, BioEnergy Technologies LLC will work with interested partners to convert agricultural and food waste into methane, for conversion into electricity and heat to be used at the facilities, according to the company. Excess electricity could be sold to the grid, as well, according to Rachel Barnett, marketing and public relations representative for the company. The first location has not been established yet but the company said it hopes to announce it by the end of the year. BioEnergy is in discussions with a number of food processors, farmers and utilities. Feasibility studies are being conducted and results should be ready in three to six months, Barnett said. BioEnergy Technologies will focus mostly on South Carolina and North Carolina for customers, as the company has a location in Raleigh, N.C. Costs of the systems could vary, depending on size and desired end product. BioEnergy will design and build for its customers to operate, or design, build, own and operate at the company locations, depending on the customers’ needs. “We’re looking at different ways to do this,” Barnett said. “We’ll look at it on a case-by-case basis.” The company is partnering with Austrian-based AAT, which has
BioEnergy Technologies used anaerobic digestion in Europe for 26 years at more than 120 facilities, and ECOregion, which pioneered the first biogas facility in North America, according to BioEnergy. Once operational, a typical facility can produce 1 megawatt, enough to power 700 homes, according to Barnett. A 1.5-megwatt system would generate enough electricity to power 1,000 homes, she added. “We’ve had a tremendous amount of interest,” Barnett said. Energy production through anaerobic digestion is the company’s priority now, she said, but services could expand in the future. “That’s what we’ll focus on at this point,” she said. “We’ll see what the future brings.” —Lisa Gibson
Gaia gets permission to build UK biomass plant A 50-megawatt (MW) biomass power plant at Billingham Reach Industrial Estates in the Tees Valley, Northeast England, will supply up to 80,000 homes with electricity annually, once fully operational in 2012. Other biomass projects are in development in the area, including a 295-MW plant operated by MGT Power, slated to go on line at Teesport in 2012. Gaia Power Ltd., based in Yarm, Tees Valley, received planning permission for its 50-MW plant from the Stockton Borough Council Planning Committee and now will begin working to secure the financing package, according to Michael Fox, Gaia Power founder and chairman. The facility will cost about 200 million pounds ($331.4 million), which will come entirely from the private sector and most likely will be a combination of limited recourse debt and independent equity, according to the company. “I don’t think we’re going to have any problem at all with that,” said June Kelly, media representative for Gaia. Although this is Gaia’s first project as a company, its founders have experience in large-scale, capital-intensive projects in both the renewable power and renewable fuels sectors. The plant will run on about 275,000 metric tons (303,100 tons) of recycled wood chippings per year from mostly local sources, according to Kelly, with about five days worth of fuel kept on-site at all times. The fuel–including pallets, medium-density fiberboard and chipboard– 22 BIOMASS MAGAZINE 12|2009
would otherwise go to landfills and contains less moisture than virgin wood, according to Gaia. Aker Solutions, a provider of engineering, technology and construction solutions, has been chosen to develop the facility on 16 acres of the Able UK Ltd. site at Billingham Reach. Able UK is based in Teesside and works to promote redevelopment on properties previously used for retail, leisure, commercial and residential purposes, among others. The plant is expected to create about 400 jobs during construction, 50 permanent jobs and 50 supply chain positions. Some of the power generated will be used within the plant and 45 MW will be sold to the local grid, according to the company. Gaia hopes to continue developing biomass power plants in the U.K., subject to availability of fuel and necessary regulatory approvals, according to the company. —Lisa Gibson