Wood-to-Waste for Texas City

In the US, a wood-to-waste fueled biomass plant may be fueling the city of Austin, Texas. The City Council has given Austin Energy approval to enter into a $2.3 billion contract to purchase all power produced over a 20-year period by a proposed 100-MW wood-waste-fueled biomass power plant.

Austin has targeted 2020 as the year that it will supply 30% of its power from renewable sources; the wood-to-waste biomass plant is seen as a way to reach that goal.

The facility, which will be one of be the largest of its type in the US, will burn wood waste from logging and mill activity as well as urban wood waste from clearing, tree trimming and pallets. All fuel sources for the plant must meet Texas Renewable Energy Credit standards and Texas Forestry Best Management Practices. It is projected to go on line by the spring of 2012.

Upon completion, the biomass plant will be constructed and managed by by Nacogdoches Power, a JV between Energy Management Inc. and BayCorp Holdings.

The expense of the plant would be recovered through fuel charges or through Austin Energy’s green power program GreenChoice. The company said that costs through the fuel charge are estimated to result in a $1.50 decrease beginning in 2012 for a projected $2.50 increase in the electric bill of the average residential customer.

“The projection is that natural gas prices will continue to escalate over the long-term. The higher natural gas prices rise, the more this project will save our customers since the biomass-generated power effectively replaces natural-gas-fueled generation for the utility,” said Roger Duncan Duncan, Austin Energy General Manager.