By Shannon Roxborough on August 31, 2011
Beasley Forest Products LLC, the largest hardwood sawmill in the U.S., and specialty contractor Land Care Services LLC, have formed a joint venture, Green Power Solutions, to construct what will be Georgia's largest biomass facility in the city of Dublin, after receiving approval from the state's Public Service Commission.
The planned power plant, capable of processing over one million tons of tree bark, wood chips and related biological waste annually, will produce 56 megawatts of electricity and provide steam power for an existing paper mill. The facility is scheduled for completion in October 2012.
Company officials say the project will create around 150 temporary construction jobs during the building stage and 55 permanent positions once operational while supporting some 200 full-time workers in the forestry and logging sectors.
The venture is also currently putting the final touches on a 20-year power purchase agreement with Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation's largest electric utilities.
Biomass, though heavily supported in traditional timber states like Washington, Oregon and Maine, still faces serious regulatory hurdles that impede its ability to compete with renewable energy sources like solar and wind.
A widely used form of heating in much of Europe, wood is the most popular form of biomass. Supporters consider it a cost competitive, low-carbon and high-energy alternative to coal, but industry growth on this side of the Atlantic has been hampered by concerns that using wood-derived biomass contributes to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.
Beasley Forest Products LLC, the largest hardwood sawmill in the U.S., and specialty contractor Land Care Services LLC, have formed a joint venture, Green Power Solutions, to construct what will be Georgia's largest biomass facility in the city of Dublin, after receiving approval from the state's Public Service Commission.
The planned power plant, capable of processing over one million tons of tree bark, wood chips and related biological waste annually, will produce 56 megawatts of electricity and provide steam power for an existing paper mill. The facility is scheduled for completion in October 2012.
The venture is also currently putting the final touches on a 20-year power purchase agreement with Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation's largest electric utilities.
Biomass, though heavily supported in traditional timber states like Washington, Oregon and Maine, still faces serious regulatory hurdles that impede its ability to compete with renewable energy sources like solar and wind.
A widely used form of heating in much of Europe, wood is the most popular form of biomass. Supporters consider it a cost competitive, low-carbon and high-energy alternative to coal, but industry growth on this side of the Atlantic has been hampered by concerns that using wood-derived biomass contributes to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.
