Nebraska utility Omaha Public Power District is to use renewable biomass pellets to replace coal in one of the boilers at the North Omaha Station.
It has signed a letter of intent with biomass supplier Next Step Biofuels, Inc., to test burn 2,200 tons of the company’s PowerPellets, which are made from the waste materials from corn crops.
The month-long test is set to begin on August 15, replacing up to 5% of the coal in the boiler.
If all goes well, the companies said they could negotiate a multi-year PowerPellet contract by mid-October.
Next Step, which has its head office in Gretna, Nebraska, said several Midwestern utilities are now evaluating the company’s PowerPellets.
Kevin Dretzka, President of the company, said: “They’re impressed that PowerPellets pulverize and process like coal, and ship and store like grain – but we found that what they appreciate most is that PowerPellets are made from corn stover, America’s most abundant form of renewable biomass.
“Using corn stover gives utilities confidence in a reliable, price-stable supply of biomass-based fuel,” added Mr Dretzka.
Baseload
With many of the largest coal-fired power plants in the US located in the corn-belt, Next Steps said dozen’s of plants 500MW or larger could be generating 10% of their power from renewable sources “in the very near term”.
The biomass company said biomass offered an “important” contribution to renewable energy since it provides baseload power – a sustained source of electricity that can be called upon 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Omaha Public Power District runs four baseload power stations, with the North Omaha Station providing 646 MW generating capacity with five coal units.
Russ Zeeck, Next Step’s COO, explained: “PowerPellets help to balance utilities’ renewable portfolios, and they can be implemented in existing coal-fired assets with minimal capital investment.”
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