Plans have been announced for the development of a 29-megawatt CHP biomass power plant in Berlin, New Hampshire.
The proposal is the first of a planned series of biomass projects around the Northeast from a new partnership between Spanish-owned Gestamp Biomass and New Hampshire firm Clean Power Development LLC.
Clean Power Development, which has its HQ in Concord, NH, said multiple projects are currently under consideration, but the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) facility in Berlin will be the first to move forward.
The plant is being proposed for a Greenfield site away from the town’s center, and would create 23 operations jobs.
Mel Liston, President of Clean Power Development, said: “The Clean Power business model includes selling both thermal and electrical energy to nearby or co-located industries,” Liston said. “This allows the project to serve as the catalyst for additional development, sustaining existing industry such as Fraser/Gorham mill, and to provide a cost-effective thermal source for a city-wide District Heating System in Berlin.”
Last year, Clean Power Development was talking with city officials and technology experts about a possible district heating network for Berlin.
The firm was issued an air permit for a 29MW biomass plant in Berlin in September 2009.
Acquisitions
Ultimately, the two companies believe their agreement, covering all six New England states plus Pennsylvania and New York, could led to 180MW of biomass plants being established.
Some of these projects could take the form of existing biomass power projects that could be acquired by Gestamp Biomass. Clean Power Development will be identifying and carrying out due diligence work on possible acquisition targets.
Gestamp will provide financing for development projects, and also offers engineering and construction expertise.
Gestamp Biomass is a division of Gestamp Renewables, which is itself a subsidiary of the Spanish Gestamp Corporation. The company operates 80 power plants in 25 countries, including five US facilities in Alabama, Michigan and South Carolina, as well as a new facility planned for Tennessee.
Gestamp Renewables also has wind power operations in Oklahoma and Nebraska, with plans for a major solar power project in New Mexico.
Emilio L. Lopez Carmona, Chief Executive Officer of Gestamp Biomass, said Clean Power Development’s expertise would help his company “significantly” expand its presence in the US biomass sector.
He said: “We are very pleased to join forces with Clean Power Development to pursue a wide range of opportunities across the Northeast, making investments that will strengthen the region’s energy infrastructure and help businesses grow and prosper.”
The two companies promised “environmentally and socially responsible development”, with their CHP projects “appropriately scaled” for local biomass feedstock supplies.
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