by jboullion | Feb 26, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in the Wausau Daily Herald:
Outside a recent open house WE Energies held to discuss its proposed biomass power plant in Rothschild, a group of residents distributed information outlining their concerns and objections to the plant.
It’s good for people to be engaged in a local matter that affects them, and we applaud residents for voicing their concerns. But in our judgment, the benefits that the biomass plant would bring our area far outweigh the costs.
The $250 million power plant would be a boon to the area, full of upsides. It would provide an economic boost, both in the 400 construction jobs required to build it and in the 150 permanent jobs that would staff the plant. It would boost the state and municipal tax base. And the technology it would employ is clean, renewable and low-emission, helping Wisconsin reach its goal of using 10 percent renewable energy by 2015.
The biomass plant, which would power the Domtar paper mill and provide electricity to the grid, would be fueled by burning wood waste — low-quality wood, unusable bark and such. That’s a good deal cleaner than burning coal and fossil fuels, and it’s a renewable resource.
This project needs to happen. WE Energies is waiting on state approval to begin construction, but says it hopes to have the plant up and running by fall of 2013.
by jboullion | Feb 24, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a workshop announcement released by the Energy Center of Wisconsin:
April 21, 2010 | Green Bay, WI
April 22, 2010 | Rothschild, WI
This program provides a solid background in renewable energy technologies for commercial-scale applications. Get an overview of renewable energy, from an exploration of the benefits, to a view of technologies that work well in Wisconsin’s northern climate. Learn how renewable energy technologies fit into the LEED™ design process and the software tools used for assessing renewable energy potential. Find out about design considerations, potential system performance, and the economics of installing a system in today’s solar market.
by jboullion | Feb 23, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Wayne Nelson in BusinessNorth:
The proposed $250 million addition at Flambeau River Papers in Park Falls that would expand the mill into commercial manufacturing of “green diesel” and other renewable woody biomass products has cleared more hurdles on the way to a potential construction later this year.
On Jan. 19, Flambeau River Biofuels, an affiliate of the paper mill, said it has signed letters of intent with two more major project vendors. William “Butch” Johnson, majority owner of the paper mill and biofuels companies, said it has selected AMEC, a British engineering firm, to design the project, and Miron Construction based in Neenah, WI, as primary contractor.
In October, Flambeau River Biofuels selected Honeywell, Inc. to supply and integrate automation equipment and building controls for what would be the largest second-generation U.S. green diesel plant. In addition to producing transportation fuels and chemicals from woody biomass, the steam and electricity also produced in the process would make the paper mill the first in the nation to be fossil fuel-independent.
The biorefinery would be designed to process 1,000 dry tons per day of bark, sawdust and other residue with little market demand into 19 million gallons of green diesel and wax fuels per year. The project would add about 40 fulltime employees to the 300 already working in the mill. The additional demand for woody biomass would create an estimated 125 logging-related jobs for the regional wood products industry.
by jboullion | Feb 22, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Megan Loiselle in the Wausau Daily Herald:
ROTHSCHILD — A power plant that has its sights set on this village of 5,390 people has some residents singing its praises and others crying, “Not in my backyard.”
WE Energies plans to build a $250 million power plant that burns low-quality and unusable wood and paper waste, powering the Domtar paper mill and providing electricity to homes in portions of Wisconsin. The plant still needs state approval before construction can begin, but WE Energies is hopeful it will be up and running by fall 2013.
About 300 people streamed in and out of a conference room during a WE Energies-sponsored open house Saturday at the Holiday Inn & Suites seeking answers about how the plant would affect their quality of life — and how many new jobs it would bring to the area.
According to WE Energies, the biomass plant would not only create new jobs, it would bring in shared revenue from the state depending on how much energy is created. The project would create 400 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs. It also will help Wisconsin reach its goal of having 10 percent of all energy produced using renewable resources by 2015 — a goal established in Gov. Jim Doyle’s Clean Energy Wisconsin Plan.
The plant would cut dependence on fossil fuels, reduce acid rain and be nearly carbon-neutral, according to the environmental advocacy group Clean Wisconsin and the U.S. Forest Service.
John Klosinski, 55, of Rothschild said he supports the biomass plant because it will create jobs for people who have been hit hard by the economy.
“I think it’s great,” Klosinski said. “I’ve been working half time for over a year … I’m not concerned about the emissions or the noise.”
About 10 residents stood outside the conference room and passed out information with a list of their concerns about the smell, sound and emissions the biomass plant would bring with it.
by jboullion | Feb 19, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by the Center for Climate Strategies:
Implementation of the recently introduced Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) would expand the state’s economy and create thousands of additional new jobs for Wisconsin. These impacts are reported in a recent Center for Climate Strategies (CCS) analysis of the macroeconomic effects of the proposed law, conducted by Michigan State University and the University of Southern California in association with the State of Wisconsin. The analysis focuses on nine proposed policy actions that address clean and renewable energy, energy efficiency, industrial processes, transportation and agriculture.
Based on a state-of-the-art macroeconomic analysis, implementation of these CEJA actions would result in the following outcomes for Wisconsin:
Create a net increase of more than 16,200 new jobs in the state by 2025;
Boost the state’s economy (Gross State Product) by
o $254 million in the near term (2015),
o more than $700 million in 2020,
o $1.41 billion by 2025, and
o $4.9 billion total over the 2011-2025 period.
Reactions to the study: Governor Doyle and CREWE.
