Finding power in the pines

Finding power in the pines

Dec 30 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Mary Carr Mayle Savannah Morning News, Ga.

In as few as six years, much of the power supplied to towns such as Midway, Metter and Millen could be generated by pine trees.

Oglethorpe Power Corp., the nation's largest power supply cooperative, recently announced plans to build as many as three 100-megawatt biomass electric generating facilities in Georgia.

Designed to utilize woody biomass, one of the state's most abundant renewable resources, the power plants will be carbon-neutral and provide power to OPC's 38 member cooperatives, which supply electricity to nearly half of Georgia's population.

Among them: Coastal Electric Cooperative in Midway, Excelsior Electric Membership Cooperation in Metter and Planters EMC in Millen.

"With our abundant biomass resources, Georgia has the unique opportunity to expand our use of alternative energy, grow our economy and transform the way we provide energy to our citizens," Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue has said.

Last year, Perdue launched a marketing initiative to brand Georgia as The Bioenergy Corridor to promote the state's research and private investment efforts in the area.

Another local connection: Oglethorpe Power worked with Herty Advanced Materials Development Center in Savannah to collect wood samples to determine heat and moisture content when they began investigating biomass.

OPC has secured options for five potential sites in Appling, Echols, Warren and Washington counties. The first two biomass power plants are scheduled to be built and placed into operation in 2014 and 2015. A third unit could also be completed and placed into service in 2015.

Capital investment in the biomass plants will range from $400 million-$500 million per facility, with each providing about 40 good-paying, full-time jobs.

In addition, each plant will require an annual investment of more than $30 million for fuel stock alone and will create a need for potentially hundreds of new forestry jobs.

"We're pleased to find an environmentally friendly way to help meet some of our members' growing demand for electricity," said Tom Smith, president and CEO of Oglethorpe Power.