|
What
is Biomass?
Biomass is
using renewable resources as fuel. Wood
or agricultural waste such as corn stalks, stover, or sorgum are examples.
What
sources of biomass are involved with this project?
Wood is the
source of fuel for this project. Both
open loop (waste wood, tops, limbs, agricultural waste) and closed loop
(dedicated crops of trees) wood will be used.
The goal is to have 75% biomass fuel over twenty years.
The wood processing and storage yard will be in
Mt.
Iron
.

Typical tree plantation after one
year

Biomass will be chipped or ground and
transported by truck to the wood storage facility
Why
is Virginia Public Utilities involved in this project?
The State of
Minnesota
mandated major power producers (Xcel Energy, formerly NSP) to use biomass
fuel. Virginia Public
Utilities and Hibbing Public Utilities determined that they could use
biomass fuel to supplement underutilized facilities and sell the extra
power generated to Xcel Energy.
What are the
benefits of this project?
-
up to 70 jobs (at Virginia and Hibbing Public Utilities)
retained for 20 years
-
65-100 new jobs created in the wood processing portion of
the project
-
$52 million in new development at Virginia and Hibbing
Public Utilities
-
$10 million invested in wood yard and harvesting equipment
-
$19.2 million in biomass fuel will be spent annually within
75 miles of
Virginia
and
Hibbing
-
predictable steam rates for 3,600 residential and commercial
steam customers in
Virginia
and
Hibbing
-
cost avoidance of up to $20 million in steam conversions for
customers
-
environmental benefit of using biomass instead of coal
-
pollution control cost avoidance due to using less coal
-
new market for region’s loggers and landholders
-
$20 million annual community economic value (labor, fuel,
materials); $1.2 billion over 20 years
What
is all the construction about?
New
wood-fired boilers are being built in both Virginia
and Hibbing. The coal and natural gas
boilers will be kept as back-ups and will produce 25% of the power over 20
years.
Here are some pictures from the Virginia
construction site.

February 15, 2006. Part of the old Power Plant in Virginia
needed
to be demolished to make way for the new boiler.

February 21, 2006
after the demolition.

May 15, 2006
New steel is going up.

June 20, 2006 - Steel framework
almost done!
September 2006 - Boiler parts are
filling in
November
2006 - Enclosing the new boiler

December
2006 - Boiler is Enclosed
"First
Fire" on December 22, 2006. Click here for a link
to an article from the Mesabi Daily News.
When
will the wood-fired boiler be operational?
December 31, 2006
is the scheduled start-up date.
Who else is
involved in this project?
|
Department of Energy
|
Oscar J. Boldt Construction
|
|
Iron
Range
Legislative Delegation
|
API Electric
|
|
Iron
Range
Resources (IRRRB)
|
Barr Engineering
|
|
Legislative Committee on
Minnesota
Resources (LCMR)
|
Benchmark Engineering
|
|
Minnesota
Forest
Resources Council
|
Bougalis Constructors
|
|
MN Dept of Commerce
|
Federal
Great Lakes
Biomass Initiative
|
|
MN Dept of Natural Resources
|
Forest
Management Systems Cooperative
|
|
MN Pollution Control Agency
|
Mesabi Bituminous
|
|
Chippewa
National Forest
|
Mesabi Mechanical
|
|
Superior
National Forest
|
Moorhead
Machinery
|
|
USDA/US
Forest
Service
|
Northern Industrial Erectors
|
|
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
|
NSP Power
|
|
St.
Louis
County
Extension Service
|
RLK Kuusisto Engineering
|
|
St. Louis County Land Department
|
Sebesta Blomberg Environmental
|
|
University of
Minnesota, Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment
|
Springsted Financial Advisors
|
|
University of Minnesota, Natural Resource
Research Institute
|
The Costin Group, Inc.
|
|
|
Xcel Energy
|
If we have omitted any involved parties, please
contact webmaster1@vpuc.com to be
added to the listing.
Some Interesting Construction Facts:
-
2,725 cubic yards (or 5,520 tons) of concrete
were poured for this project
-
250 tons of steel were erected
-
76 miles of wire and 2 miles of conduit were
pulled
-
There are 750 feet of conveyors
-
The stack is 150 feet high
-
The boiler has a capacity of 135,000 pounds/hour
-
The final steam temperature is 830° F
-
The boiler weighs 55 tons and has 1,054 tubes in
it
If you have any questions about the Biomass Project,
please contact leonit@vpuc.com to
have them addressed. Check
back here for updates and new pictures as the project progresses.
|