Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission has approved Northern States Power Company-Wisconsin’s proposal to construct the largest biomass plant in the Midwest, a $58.1 million biomass gasification technology facility to be set up at the Bay Front Power Plant in the city of Ashland.

The project aims to harness 20 megawatts of power from biomass fuel sources and 8 MW from natural gas. Once completed, the project will convert the only remaining coal-fired boiler of the Bay Front plant into a biomass unit – making the plant run 100 percent on renewable energy.

An estimated $20 million annual income may also be raised by the project for Ashland’s six counties, through the purchase of wood residues from the area contractors and other related services.

“This project swaps out 20 megawatts of old, boutique coal for locally grown biomass, keeping ratepayers’ fuel dollars in Wisconsin,” said Eric Callisto, chairman of the commission.

“Our ratepayers send over a billion dollars out of state every year to buy coal for power generation. Today’s decision helps keep more of those dollars here in Wisconsin,” he elaborated.

Initial studies by Xcel Energy, Northern States Power’s parent company, revealed that the Ashland area has more than enough supply of the wood types needed for the project. Lower quality biomass – unused materials left in area forests following traditional harvests, such as treetops, logging slash, damaged trees, underutilized species, the cull and mortality classed trees – will be the wood residue types used.

“The technology ... uses a fuel resource that is plentiful in Wisconsin and in close proximity to the plant,” noted Mark Meyer, Public Service commissioner, adding that the project is in the best interest of the state.

Biomass gasifiers are in operation globally and can be found in Asia and Europe at small-scale plants that provide comparatively small amounts of heat or electricity to farms and small industries.

In the United States, the use of biomass gasifiers for the production of electricity has been small in scale, although some larger units have been recently installed.

Apart from reducing the carbon dioxide emissions of the remaining coal-fired unit, the project will also cut other greenhouse gas emissions, including nitrogen oxides by over 60 percent, and sulfur dioxides and particulate matter by over 80 percent.

Lauren Azar, another Public Service commissioner, said the state is at a critical juncture of its energy policy. “Every decision we make today needs to be considered in the context of the fact that we will soon be engaging in a transformation of our energy infrastructure.”

-   Jen Balboa