POWER
Supporting Clean Energy in the South The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, a regional organization focused on developing clean energy solutions in the Southeast, is watching Plant Mitchell and several other power plants that are in the process of determining the economic feasibility of converting from coal to biomass. The Electric Power Research Institute is currently investigating conversions for Gulf Power’s Plant Scholz and Mississippi Power’s Plant Sweatt, and Alabama Power is taking stock of the biomass supply in the state, which will help the company determine the most costeffective plants for conversion. In addition to these plants, John Bonitz, farm outreach and policy advocate for SACE, says several others are on their list—such as Northern Wood Power in New Hampshire and Coastal Carolina Clean Power in North Carolina. “We’re convinced there is a trend, albeit a limited one, judging by the size of our existing small coal plant fleet, and by the availability of the resource base,” Bonitz says. There are multiple reasons behind the conversion trend, Bonitz says. “From the power plant producer’s perspective, it may be capital and long-term economics and fuel cost projections,” he says. “It seems the trend is limited to these small coal-fired assets. I don’t think we’re going to start seeing newer coal plants being proposed for conversions.” Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida are leading the states with coal-to-biomass power proposals. “This may be because of the concentration of wood waste in these areas,” Bonitz says.
Some conversions are being proposed in areas where the clean up of emissions is being enforced. Utilities commissions are issuing ultimatums telling companies they will be shut down if they don’t add new equipment to reduce emissions, Bonitz points out. “This might involve installing new scrubber technology and pollution control equipment— but it may be easier to just switch fuels.” Although biomass plant conversions seem to be chock full of incentives, Bonitz says SACE is concerned about concentrating too many biomass-fired plants in one geographic location. When you’re talking about a million tons of new demand a year, we may get into pulp wood when the supply of waste wood is exceeded, he says. “We just need to proceed with our eyes wide open—it probably would be a problem if there was a pulp mill nearby, which would suffer from an increase in demand,” he adds. SACE, which works to prevent new coal power plants from being built in the Southeast, is also mindful of the concerns of environmental organizations in regard to the potential long-term impact on soils and water quality. “We’re working with loggers, foresters, forestry commissions and woodland owners, to explore these issues of sustainability in the case of biopower,” Bonitz says. SACE is eager to see Georgia Power move forward with its proposal for Plant Mitchell, Bonitz says. “We are supporting it,” he says. “We also look forward to hearing about more proposals as they become official.”