Published: January 03, 2009 01:44 am      

Georgetown company to build biomass facility

A Georgetown company plans to build a state-of-the-art 28 megawatt biomass-to-electricity facility on 110 acres north of Milltown, according to a press release.

Liberty Green Renewables, which has offices in Georgetown and Houston, is scheduled to break ground in about 20 months. Terry Naulty, a partner with the company, said there is still a lot of engineering and other work that needs to be completed before construction can begin.

The plant will process woody biomass material from several local forest product industrial sources in south central Indiana and central Kentucky, including residues from logging, sawmills, furniture, cabinet and pallet manufacturers, tree trimmings and storm damage.

“We take a bi-product of forest product and turn it into green energy,” Naulty said.

There are a few biomass facilities in Michigan, but all use older technology, Naulty added.

The Milltown plant will utilize a fluidized bed boiler technology to enable utilization of a wide variety of woody biomass materials in an efficient, environmentally friendly manner, according to the release.

The development of the facility is expected to create significant economic benefits to Crawford County. The plant will have a capital cost of $80 million to $90 million. More than 100 construction jobs will be created during the 18-month building period. The facility will employ around 25 people when completed.

Naulty said there were three reasons why his company chose Crawford County. He said proximity to wood producers, federally-back debt program for economically challenged areas, and tax incentives given to Liberty Green Renewables by Crawford County.