Green Power EMC's Renewable Energy Agreement Generates Jobs and Electricity
Posted on: Thursday, 18 December 2008, 10:11 CST
TUCKER, Ga., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Power EMC (GPEMC), a
partnership of 38 electric membership corporations (EMCs) in Georgia, today
announced plans to purchase 17 MW of biomass energy from Multitrade Rabun Gap
(MRG), LLC.
The Rabun Gap project will use woody waste as the primary fuel in a
conventional boiler for the generation of steam to power a steam turbine
electric generator.
The power purchase agreement is part of Green Power EMC's mission to
research and deliver renewable energy options from Georgia resources such as
biomass, solar, wind and low-impact hydro.
This project is unusual in that it involves several "renewable" resources.
The biomass facility will be sited in an already existing power plant in an
idled Fruit of the Loom manufacturing facility located in Rabun Gap, Ga. The
textile company closed in 2006 resulting in the loss of 900 jobs and a
dramatic effect on the economy of the small mountain town, located near the
North Carolina border. Putting the power plant back into service creates
approximately 20 jobs for people to operate the plant and an additional 75
jobs for people needed to gather and transport biomass to the facility.
"The Rabun Gap project is an example of what we can accomplish when we
take a fresh look at our renewable resources and ask 'what are the
possibilities?'" says Michael Whiteside, president/CEO of GPEMC. "We will be
generating 17 MW of cleaner, greener energy, which on its own has tremendous
merit. But when you add the refurbishing of an abandoned plant into a useful
facility and the revitalization of a small town economy, the value of this
project becomes untold."
MRG, an affiliate of Multitrade Biomass Holdings in Ridgeway, Va., is a
special purpose entity formed to construct and operate the 17 MW capacity
wood-fueled biomass facility. Multitrade has been active since 1982 in
developing alternate energy projects including one of the largest wood-fueled
facilities in the world located near Hurt, Va.
The Rabun Gap facility has a significant amount of existing equipment on
site, including the boiler, which was previously used to supply steam and
electricity to the Fruit of the Loom manufacturing operation. MRG will use
native renewable fuel from the local forest industry. When complete, the $21.5
million facility will generate enough energy to meet the needs of
approximately 10,000 homes. The plant is expected to become operational by
August 2009.
About Green Power EMC
Green Power EMC is a not-for-profit cooperative founded in August 2001 to
support EMCs in their search for Georgia renewable resources. The primary
efforts of Green Power EMC have been to find, screen, analyze and negotiate
power purchase agreements with Georgia-based renewable resource providers.
Green Power EMC was the first green power program in the state with green
power resources online and operational in October 2003.
Participating EMCs include Altamaha, Amicalola, Canoochee, Carroll,
Central Georgia, Cobb, Colquitt, Coweta-Fayette, Excelsior, Habersham, Grady,
Hart, Irwin, Jackson, Middle Georgia, Mitchell, Little Ocmulgee, Ocmulgee,
Oconee, Okefenoke, Pataula, Planters, Rayle, Sawnee, Slash Pine, Snapping
Shoals, Sumter, Three Notch, Tri-County, Upson, Walton and Washington EMCs;
Coastal Electric; Diverse Power; Flint Energies; GreyStone Power; Jefferson
Energy; and Southern Rivers Energy.
Collectively, the 42 customer-owned EMCs provide electricity and related
services to four million people, nearly half of Georgia's population, across
73 percent of the state's land area. Georgia's 42 electric membership
cooperatives now serve more customers than any other state network of EMCs in
the nation.
For more information on Green Power EMC, visit www.greenpoweremc.com.
SOURCE Green Power EMC
Source: PR Newswire
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