http://gep.us.com/PressRelease.aspx
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
DeKalb County’s yard waste is on its way to be turned into energy. The county commission voted 6-1 Tuesday to sell its wood chips, grass clippings and yard waste to Green Energy Partners LLC. Green Partners plans to build a $50 million biomass plant in Lithonia. The yard waste, along with cooking oil and greases, will be burned and turned into electricity. The company hopes to contract with Georgia Power, said Green Energy managing director Neville Anderson. Find this article here.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
DeKalb looks to turn yard waste into energy
http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb-looks-to-turn-567090.html
By Megan Matteucci
Discarded wood chips, grass clippings and cooking oil could bring money to DeKalb County and a new source of renewable energy to Georgia.
The company said its proposal calls for turning yard waste, fats, oils and greases into clean energy that could be used to power 7,000 homes.
The 10 megawatt plant is expected to generate about $220,000 a year for DeKalb for the next 20 years.
“We are able to sell a commodity we were giving away or stockpiling before we put in the landfill,” Commissioner Jeff Rader told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Most importantly, we are able to add to our generation of green energy.”
While turning trash into cash is a benefit for DeKalb, the county is facing some questions for not submitting a request for proposals for the contract.
Two companies – Green Energy Partners and Southeast Renewable Energy – approached the county about using their yard waste for a project under the federal stimulus program. Green Energy said it plans to apply for federal stimulus dollars.
Commissioners heard from both companies but did not solicit bids. On Thursday, the commission’s Planning, Economic Development and Public Works Committee voted 3-0 to issue a 20-year contract to Green Energy. The full commission will vote on the contract Tuesday.
Southeast Renewable Energy initially had a proposal to build a similar plant on Briarwood Road, but the county rejected the location. The company’s president and CEO Raine Cotton said Thursday he wished he had the opportunity to bid on the project.
William “Ted” Rhinehart, the county’s deputy chief operating officer for infrastructure, said that the county does not need to issue an RFP because the county is not purchasing a service.
The contract calls for Green Energy to pay the county $5 a ton for wood chips, tree branches, grass trimmings and other debris the county’s sanitation trucks pick up. The price could vary depending on electricity costs, Rhinehart said. Green Energy will also collect cooking grease from restaurants.
“We’ve tied this to the price of electricity so if this becomes more valuable in the future, we will benefit,” Rhinehart said.
The debris will then be burned into gas used to power turbines, which will produce electricity. Green Energy managing director Neville Anderson said he is negotiating with Georgia Power to buy the energy. Georgia Power spokeswoman Lynn Wallace said there are no talks with Green Energy, but the company would be willing to work with them.
DeKalb collects about 100,000 tons of yard waste annually and anticipates selling about 40,000 tons to Green Energy. The county already has at least a year’s supply of wood chips stored, Rhinehart said.
If it receives county approval, Green Energy must apply for an emissions permit from the state Environmental Protection Division, which could take up to six months, said Eric Cornwell, permitting manager for the EPD.
Anderson said the plant will have the “cleanest and lowest emissions” in the nation for a biomass plant.
Cornwell said the state has not received a permit application. He could not verify the company's emissions claim, but said the EPD would ensure there are no hazards.
“There are strict environmental regulations and no health risks for the area,” Rader said. “It’s super clean because of the permits.”
Construction on the Lithonia plant, which will be located near the Rock Chapel quarry, is scheduled for February 2011, Anderson said. The operation is expected to generate 100 construction jobs. Only a few workers will be needed to run the plant, Anderson said.
Anderson claims this will be the first such plant in Georgia. A competitive company runs a similar operation in Rabun Gap, near the North Carolina border. That 17 megawatt plant, which turns forestry debris into electricity, is the only permitted operational wood waste plant in Georgia, Cornwell said. Several others have applied for permits, but work has not started on any.
Georgia Power also purchases methane gas from household garbage in DeKalb’s Seminole Road landfill. Georgia Power is also in the process of converting a coal-powdered plant near Albany into wood biomass, Wallace said.
By Megan Matteucci
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Metro Atlanta / State News6:33 p.m. Thursday, July 8, 2010
DeKalb gave the first approval Thursday for Green Energy Partners LLC to move forward with building a $50 million biomass plant in Lithonia.
The 10 megawatt plant is expected to generate about $220,000 a year for DeKalb for the next 20 years.
“We are able to sell a commodity we were giving away or stockpiling before we put in the landfill,” Commissioner Jeff Rader told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Most importantly, we are able to add to our generation of green energy.”
While turning trash into cash is a benefit for DeKalb, the county is facing some questions for not submitting a request for proposals for the contract.
Two companies – Green Energy Partners and Southeast Renewable Energy – approached the county about using their yard waste for a project under the federal stimulus program. Green Energy said it plans to apply for federal stimulus dollars.
Commissioners heard from both companies but did not solicit bids. On Thursday, the commission’s Planning, Economic Development and Public Works Committee voted 3-0 to issue a 20-year contract to Green Energy. The full commission will vote on the contract Tuesday.
Southeast Renewable Energy initially had a proposal to build a similar plant on Briarwood Road, but the county rejected the location. The company’s president and CEO Raine Cotton said Thursday he wished he had the opportunity to bid on the project.
William “Ted” Rhinehart, the county’s deputy chief operating officer for infrastructure, said that the county does not need to issue an RFP because the county is not purchasing a service.
The contract calls for Green Energy to pay the county $5 a ton for wood chips, tree branches, grass trimmings and other debris the county’s sanitation trucks pick up. The price could vary depending on electricity costs, Rhinehart said. Green Energy will also collect cooking grease from restaurants.
“We’ve tied this to the price of electricity so if this becomes more valuable in the future, we will benefit,” Rhinehart said.
The debris will then be burned into gas used to power turbines, which will produce electricity. Green Energy managing director Neville Anderson said he is negotiating with Georgia Power to buy the energy. Georgia Power spokeswoman Lynn Wallace said there are no talks with Green Energy, but the company would be willing to work with them.
DeKalb collects about 100,000 tons of yard waste annually and anticipates selling about 40,000 tons to Green Energy. The county already has at least a year’s supply of wood chips stored, Rhinehart said.
If it receives county approval, Green Energy must apply for an emissions permit from the state Environmental Protection Division, which could take up to six months, said Eric Cornwell, permitting manager for the EPD.
Anderson said the plant will have the “cleanest and lowest emissions” in the nation for a biomass plant.
Cornwell said the state has not received a permit application. He could not verify the company's emissions claim, but said the EPD would ensure there are no hazards.
“There are strict environmental regulations and no health risks for the area,” Rader said. “It’s super clean because of the permits.”
Construction on the Lithonia plant, which will be located near the Rock Chapel quarry, is scheduled for February 2011, Anderson said. The operation is expected to generate 100 construction jobs. Only a few workers will be needed to run the plant, Anderson said.
Anderson claims this will be the first such plant in Georgia. A competitive company runs a similar operation in Rabun Gap, near the North Carolina border. That 17 megawatt plant, which turns forestry debris into electricity, is the only permitted operational wood waste plant in Georgia, Cornwell said. Several others have applied for permits, but work has not started on any.
Georgia Power also purchases methane gas from household garbage in DeKalb’s Seminole Road landfill. Georgia Power is also in the process of converting a coal-powdered plant near Albany into wood biomass, Wallace said.
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