Coal out, biomass in

[Fledermaus]

Biomass appears to be the wave of the future for a pair of Northwestern Ontario coal-fired electricity producing stations.

Ontario Power Generation, dictated by the province to discontinue the use of coal by 2014, has successfully tested wood pellets at its Atikokan plant, and is in the process of achieving similar results in Thunder Bay.

Jane Todd, OPG’s program manager Northwest, splits her time between the two regional facilities, said biomass alternatives have tremendous potential to supply energy while having limited impact on the environment.

'It’s greenhouse gas neutral, and that’s very important to the province and I think to everyone,' said Todd, admitting it’s also an expensive procedure.

But it is a viable one, she added, stating that a power-purchase agreement would have to be signed with the Ontario Power Authority, the governing body for electricity distribution in the province.

'And we’d have to work very hard to burn it efficiently in our boilers. I think it’s a real ray of hope for the forest industry. It’s certainly not, I don’t think, the solution for all the problems in the forest industry, but it’s certainly a piece of the puzzle being able to produce biomass as well as the other products they produce from forestry in Ontario.

http://www.tbsource.com/Localnews/index.asp?cid=116174