Thursday, March 10, 2011

Biomass on Hold?

What follows is the transcript of a podcast, which can be found on the Vermont Public Radio website. For anyone following the tale of the proposed Pownal, Vermont biomass power plant this could spell hope for both the Hoosic River and those folks who live in the river valley. At the very least, it seems the people of Pownal have been granted a one-year reprieve.

Pownal Biomass Project May Be On Hold

Thursday, 03/10/11 7:34am
Susan Keese
 
Bennington, VT
 
(Host)  A panel of experts met at Bennington College last night to consider how a 30 megawatt biomass plant might impact the region's forests, air, water and communities. Two such plants are proposed for Vermont - one in Pownal and one in Fair Haven.  But as VPR's Susan Keese reports, the Pownal project may be temporarily on hold.

(Keese) A recent study says the potential for sustainably producing power from New England's forests is likely to be smaller than some earlier projections. That study is done by the Cary Institute  of Milbrook, New York. Bennington College Ecology Professor Kerry Woods says it's the best reesarch he's seen.
 
(Woods) "Biomass driven  power generation yes probably has an appropriate place in the mix for the northeast. But it's important to realize that the potential there is probably considerably less than people have come to think. They say the figure was replacing five percent of the coal burnt, a relatively small proportion."

(Keese) The study says unrealistic growth in biomass could lead to serious degradation of the forest.
And it says that while biomass isn't carbon neutral, it may be preferable, carbon-wise, to fossil fuels. That's because carbon released from trees returns eventually to the forest, while carbon from fossil fuels has nowhere to return to. Dick Valentinetti, Vermont's director of air pollution control, says his department has received an air quality permit application from Beaverwood Energy, that's the company behind the two proposals. "It's a good application but I still have some questions about some technical aspects,    have they really pushed the envelope as far as they should be on some of these pollution controls"

(Keese) Valentinetti says monitoring the two biomass generating plants already in the state - including the 30 year old McNeil Plant in Burlington - keeps regulators current on anti- pollution technology. Beaverwood partner Bill Bousquet was in the audience. He says the company only plans to file for permits for the Fair Haven project this year. Says Bousquet, "Because the people in Fair Haven are one hundred percent towards this plant, and the people of Pownal have mixed feelings about the plant. So it's much easier to go ahead with Fair Haven this year and then we'll have to see what the legislation does with the energy plan for next year or the year after."

(Keese) Bousquet says lawmakers have been going back and forth on whether, or to what extent, to include biomass in state incentive programs for renewable energy projects.

2 comments:

Nushranger said...

While this is great news, its not the end of the story and everyone must remain in touch with the situation for the sake of the region. Thanks Mike for continuing to keep this information on your site.

Anonymous said...

We are having similar issues here in Western MA along the Westield River where plans are under way for Biomass plant. Little do they say about the thousands and thousands of acres of woods that will be degraded, the fact that it is nott carbon neutral and that it will require river draw downs to cool the engines only to release it back into the river at temperatures well over 80*. The whole concept is a joke logically thinking and a scary one at that as many are pushing hard for this to become a reality.
-BT
http://fishtalesofnewengland.blogspot.com/