Newsworthy

Anaerobic digestion

Harvest Power raises $20 million in new financing

Harvest Power Inc., a Waltham, Massachusetts-based company that turns organic waste into clean energy and natural soils, fertilizers and mulches, has announced a $20 million financing round.

The lead investors were True North Venture Partners, Chicago; Industry Ventures, San Francisco; and Generation Investment Management, London. This financing will allow Harvest to accelerate development of new opportunities in the clean energy space with its anaerobic digestion technologies, as well as provide growth capital for both its bulk and consumer organics businesses, the company says.

“I am pleased that Harvest Power has such strong support from our investors,” says Kathleen Ligocki, Harvest Power CEO. “Harvest’s growth over the last few years has been impressive, positioning the company at the forefront of an organics revolution. Food and organic waste diversion is an incredibly hot topic for many communities, as is producing renewable natural gas from anaerobic digestion. This injection of capital, combined with our outstanding team, unique competencies and superior products will catalyze the next level of growth for our company.”

Michael Ahearn, who has served on Harvest’s board of directors since 2012, has been named the new chairman of the board of directors. Ahearn has proven experience scaling companies, leveraging strategic positions and identifying opportunities for growth, according to the company.

The founder and former board chairman, Paul Sellew, will continue with Harvest as thought-leader and chairman of the company’s Industry Advisory Board.

“Harvest is defining the sustainable path for communities to manage their organic waste streams in the future. It’s important work, and with Kathleen’s leadership and the excellent team she has assembled, Harvest is well-positioned to succeed,” says Ahearn. “We’re pleased to join the rest of the strong investor group Harvest has assembled in supporting this effort.”

Harvest Power operates facilities in several locations in the U.S. and in Canada.

 

Employment within the waste management and remediation services industry reached a record high of 382,500 workers in July 2014.
(Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

 

Plastics to oil

ACC study shows plastics to oil could be a $9 billion industry

Wide-scale deployment of emerging technology that converts used, nonrecycled plastics into oil could generate up to $9 billion in annual U.S. economic output and create upwards of 40,000 domestic jobs, according to a report released by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), Washington.

The report, “Economic Impact of Plastics-to-Oil Facilities in the U.S.,” assessed the economic potential of a rapidly developing technology called pyrolysis—more commonly known as plastics to oil. ACC’s analysis found that the U.S. could support as many as 600 of these facilities nationwide, which could yield $2.1 billion in annual payroll and create up to $6.6 billion in capital investment.

“Plastics-to-oil technologies have the potential to create thousands of jobs for skilled workers, contribute billions of dollars to the U.S. economy, cut our carbon emissions, and dramatically reduce the landfilling of a valuable energy source,” said Jon Angin, vice president of business development at Agilyx Corp., Beaverton, Oregon, and chairman of ACC’s Plastics-to-Oil Technologies Alliance.

Earlier this year a separate study by engineers at Columbia University’s Earth Engineering Center found that converting nonrecycled plastics into oil could generate 6 billion gallons of gasoline—enough to fuel nearly 9 million cars—per year. Because plastics are derived from natural gas, they typically have higher energy value than other types of household waste.

“Every day in this country, we are burying a valuable alternative energy resource in landfills,” says Steve Russell, vice president of ACC’s Plastics Division. “Plastics should be recycled whenever possible, but when they can’t, used plastics can provide a rich and versatile domestic feedstock for creating energy and fuels.”

The report is available at http://plastics.american chemistry.com/Stand-Alone-Content/Economic- Impact-of-Plastics-to-Oil-Facilities.pdf.

 

Anaerobic digestion

Parties file suit over recycling contract in Indianapolis

RockTenn, a Norcross, Georgia-based papermaking and recycling company; Graphic Packaging Corp. (GPC), a Chicago-based papermaker; and Cathy Weinmann, a resident of Indianapolis, have filed a suit against the city of Indianapolis’ Public Works Department over its award of a large contract to the waste-to-energy (WTE) and recycling firm Covanta.

The contract calls for Covanta, Morristown, New Jersey, to build and operate a large mixed-waste processing facility in the city adjacent to Covanta’s existing WTE plant.

According to a report in the Indianapolis Business Journal, the plaintiffs have asked a judge in Marion County, Indiana, to halt the agreement between the city and Covanta. The three plaintiffs claim the $110 million contract, which includes the construction of a $45 million mixed-waste materials processing facility, did not go through the normal bidding process.

Other opponents of the contract say Covanta will focus its efforts on using the material collected from the city for its WTE facility, causing fewer recyclables to reach end markets.

Additionally, opponents say the collection and processing of recyclables mixed with waste will result in lower quality material, ultimately making potentially recyclable material only usable for the WTE plant.

In a statement released after the city voted to approve the Covanta deal, the Indiana Recycling Coalition (IRC) writes that it is “disappointed that the Indianapolis Board of Public Works has approved Covanta’s plan to mix recyclables with trash. As we have stated, this plan is a major step backwards for recycling in Indianapolis. Having in recent days received access to the agreement, we now know it is a bad deal for taxpayers as well.”

In a statement following the filing of the suit, the Indianapolis Department of Public Works, wrote, “We are perfectly within our legal right to amend our contract with Covanta. The new Advanced Recycling Center will be one of the most modern facilities in the world and is a common-sense program to increase recycling in the city—at no cost to taxpayers or government.”

The IRC claims the contract precludes the private sector from working with the city to improve recycling programs for the next 14 years and that if innovative techniques become available, the city will be unable to explore new possibilities and better approaches. IRC also claims the recycling goal for Covanta’s facility is 18 percent.

In a press release issued in June 2014, Covanta says it expects the facility to be up and running in 2016, following the receipt of necessary permits.

The Covanta press release adds Covanta Advanced Recycling Center will be designed to recover from 80 to 90 percent of recyclable materials, increasing recycling in the city by about 500 percent; significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions; complement the city’s existing WTE facility by sharing trucks and maintaining current traffic flow and avoiding additional vehicle emissions and burdens on road infrastructure; and help drive Indiana’s recycling rate toward the goal of 50 percent.

 

Plastics to oil

Global Clean Energy secures contract with Liberty Tire Recycling

Global Clean Energy Inc. (GCE), Houston, has announced it recently secured a long-term supply agreement with Pittsburgh-based Liberty Tire Recycling, a leading tire recycler that processes in excess of 140 million tires annually, to provide tire chips as feedstock to GCE. GCE says the supply agreement allows it to move forward with its planned tires-to-fuels project which will convert tires, through proven pyrolysis gasification technology, into transportation fuel and tire-derived carbon char.

GCE’s project is expected to produce 1.5 million gallons of fuel each year while keeping more than 800,000 tires from landfills. GCE says it plans to develop additional tires-to-fuels facilities throughout North America.

“GCE is extremely pleased to finalize this long-term agreement with Liberty Tire Recycling; it will be economically beneficial to both our businesses in addition to making positive impacts to the environment and the future of alternative energy production in the U.S.,” says Steven Mann, GCE chief development officer.

GCE is a waste-to-energy alternative fuels company. It is developing build-own-operate waste-to-energy conversion sites through developed and acquired technologies that convert end-of-life plastic and tires into what it says is commercially viable energy. The company calls the process Reforming Environmental Salvage into Clean Usable Energy (R.E.S.C.U.E.).

 

Landfill gas

Sunshine Gas Producers starts up landfill-gas-to-electricity plant

Sunshine Gas Producers, a joint venture between DTE Biomass Energy, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and EIF Renewable Energy Holdings, Novi, Michigan, through its subsidiary Landfill Energy Systems, has started generating electricity from landfill gas at its recently constructed facility at the Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Sylmar, California.

DTE Biomass Energy, the developer and operator of the project, has declared commercial operation status for the 20-megawatt (MW) facility at the landfill. The landfill is owned and operated by Browning-Ferris Industries of California Inc., a subsidiary of Phoenix-based Republic Services. Landfill gas generated at the site will be used to produce renewable energy to be sold to Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), San Francisco, under a long-term power purchase agreement.

The power plant, which includes five turbine generators and is operated by a staff of four, is capable of generating enough electricity to power nearly 25,000 California homes, the developers say.

“This is the successful result of more than 10 years of effort that has been made possible by strong partnerships with Republic Services, PG&E and Landfill Energy Systems,” says Mark Cousino, DTE Biomass Energy president. “It’s gratifying to see that Californians will reap the benefits of our hard work for years to come through the renewable energy produced by this project.”

“We are proud to help fulfill California’s 33 percent renewable energy goal through our investment in this base load electric production facility,” says Richard M. DiGia, president of EIF Renewable Energy Holdings.

 

Anaerobic digestion

South San Francisco Scavenger Co. turns food scraps into fuel

South San Francisco Scavenger Co. (SSFSC) and Blue Line Transfer, the facility that handles SSFSC’s recycling and disposal operations, are launching an on-site system to convert food scraps and yard waste into transportation fuel and compost.

The new facility uses dry-anaerobic digestion (AD) technology to generate clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG), which will power the company’s collection fleet. The fully enclosed system is set to process 11,200 tons of material per year. Material used in the process includes food scraps and food-soiled paper collected from businesses in the company’s service area, which includes South San Francisco, Brisbane and Millbrae, California, and San Francisco International Airport.

“We’re excited about the new digester because it allows us to turn compostable food scraps into fuel for the very trucks that collect those materials. It’s a truly closed-loop system,” says Doug Button, president of South San Francisco Scavenger and Blue Line Transfer, based in South San Francisco. “Plus, the process keeps organic waste out of the landfill and cuts greenhouse gas emissions [in] the communities we serve, the environment and our company.”

Blue Line Transfer’s system, made by Zero Waste Energy LLC, Lafayette, California, says it is the first dry anaerobic digester in the country to produce CNG transportation fuel. Besides producing up to 500 diesel gallon equivalents (DGE) per day of carbon-negative biogenic (renewable) CNG, the process provides digestate, a nutrient-rich substance that will be matured into certified organic compost.

The launch of the facility is part of SSFSC’s expanded business collection program for food scraps and food-soiled paper.

 

Gasification

Enerkem forms project partnership in China

Enerkem Inc., a Montreal-based waste-to-biofuels and chemicals producer has announced it has signed an agreement with Qingdao City Construction Investment Group Co. Ltd. to develop a project partnership to jointly build a municipal solid waste-to-biofuels facility in Qingdao, China.

The agreement was signed by Lu zheng Xing, director general, Qingdao City Construction Investment Group, and Vincent Chornet, president and CEO of Enerkem. This additional project partnership for Enerkem in China was announced in the presence of the Governor of Shandong, Guo Shuqing, and the Premier of Quebec, Philippe Couillard. It follows two previous project partnerships confirmed by Enerkem during the Quebec government’s trade mission in China.

“We are proud to combine forces with our esteemed partner in Qingdao to address local waste challenges and transform garbage into clean transportation fuels,” says Chornet. “Our modular waste-to-biofuels facilities can be replicated in any community as a competitive and sustainable alternative to incineration or landfilling.”

 

Conferences & Events

Wastecon 2014: Zero waste to landfill takes more than recycling

Recycling and composting alone are not enough to reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill in the United States. During a session titled “Energy (is) from Waste,” held at the 2014 Wastecon event, Aug. 24-26 in Dallas, panelists discussed how increasing the percentage of waste headed to waste-to-energy processes can help improve landfill diversion to rates closer to that of the European Union.

Speaking on behalf of Energy Recovery Council President Ted Michaels was Harvey Gershman, president of Gershman, Brickner and Bratton (GBB), Fairfax, Virginia. He shared how policies in the U.S. have allowed most of the waste in the U.S. to go to the lowest cost disposal option.

Gershman concluded by saying, “We need both materials and energy. Unfortunately in the U.S. when you do the calculation, we end up on the negative side of the equation because we haven’t affected decisions on the social side with any kind of policy. We need to affect the circular activity that goes into our economy.”

James Warner, CEO of the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) in Pennsylvania discussed how solid waste diversion numbers in Lancaster County are similar to that of the top countries in Europe. LCSWMA operates a transfer station, landfill and two waste-to-energy plants: one in Lancaster County and one it acquired in bordering Dauphin County in 2013.

He said sometimes people criticize waste to energy saying it might compete with recycling. He said statistics in Lancaster County show the opposite. The WTE facility opened in 1991 to reduce the volume of waste in the community and extend the life of the landfill. The recycling rate has gone from 14 percent to about 43 percent in the last 20 years.

“We believe waste to energy actually supplements recycling,” said Warner.

Craig Stuart-Paul, CEO of Fiberight, Catonsville, Maryland, discussed his company’s process for dealing with material recovery facility (MRF) residues.

Fiberight invested about $10 million in a 46,000-square-foot demonstration plant near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which now has about 5,000 hours of operating experience. The company has begun the expansion from demonstration to full commercial scale.

Fiberight produces several different end products from waste. The company uses hydrolysis to convert anything from diapers to pizza boxes to banana skins into high-value sugars. “By the end of next year we will have three solid years running a waste to bioproducts plant,” he said.

Stuart-Paul told attendees that Fiberight is part of an infrastructure, not the entire infrastructure for waste. He showed one system which was a combined single-stream and dirty MRF connected to a pulper.

“We are able to compress that with minimal cleanup into CNG,” Stuart-Paul said. “These new technologies are emerging,” concluded Stuart Paul. “In Europe, MBT (mechanical biological treatment) plants are a fact of life. They work. They’re a very valuable part of the waste infrastructure in Europe. It is a technical world solution.”

Landfill gas

Waste Management to expand Oregon landfill power plant

Waste Management Inc. (WM), Houston, has announced plans to double the generation capacity of its Columbia Ridge landfill gas power plant in north central Oregon.

The Subtitle D landfill accepts municipal solid waste (MSW) as well as industrial and special wastes, including construction and demolition material. The landfill handles a total of 2 million tons of solid waste per year. The Seattle Public Utility ships the city’s solid waste to the landfill.

Since 2009 WM has operated an energy plant at the landfill that uses methane extracted at the facility to generate renewable energy. The gas collected from the landfill powers eight engines that produce 6.4 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

WM says it is completing an expansion of the facility. When finished, the facility will have a new capacity of 12.8 MW, essentially doubling the output of the facility.

Seattle’s City Light, the 10th largest public utility in the United States, will purchase all the electricity produced at the landfill and use it to help power customers. The utility provides service to 400,000 customers in the Northwest.

“Even the trash we throw away is a resource that can be used to generate clean electricity,” says Jason Rose, WM area vice president. “We are completing the circle of sustainable practices, maximizing the resources of even our garbage to find new, alternative energy in an environmentally responsible manner.”

“Adding the increased generation from Columbia Ridge to our energy portfolio helps us meet our customers’ electricity needs, continue our status as a carbon-neutral utility and meet the new renewable energy goals of Initiative 937,” says Jorge Carrasco, City Light general manager and CEO.

 

Mass burn/incineration

Settlement reached over Detroit WTE plant odors

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director Dan Wyant have announced the state has secured a civil settlement with two Delaware, Michigan-based companies to end what are described as “chronic odors” from the nation’s largest municipal mass-burn waste-to-energy (WTE) plant, located in Detroit.

“I am confident Detroit has a better, brighter future ahead as we continue to see economic improvement in the Motor City,” says Schuette. “The DEQ appreciates the work of the Attorney General to bring this case to a successful conclusion for the residents of Detroit,” says Wyant. The two companies, Michigan Waste Energy Inc. and Detroit Renewable Power LLC, assumed operations of the facility in late 2010. Each summer since 2010, nearby Detroit residents have complained of severe odors emanating from the facility, starting with 16 complaints in 2009 and growing to more than 170 complaints in 2014.

Field investigations conducted by DEQ verified chronic “strong sour garbage odors” from the facility powerful enough to warrant violations of air pollution control laws, specifically Rule 901 of the Michigan Air Pollution Control Rules. The facility also supplies steam power to heat and cool many downtown Detroit commercial buildings.

The civil settlement filed Oct. 21, 2014, by Schuette in Ingham County Circuit Court includes the following terms:

• The companies will re-engineer the facility within two years with a new air ducting system, recirculating foul-smelling air into the waste-to-energy process. The companies will be charged monetary penalties of up to $5,000 for each day the companies do not implement the measures to control the nuisance odors and additional penalties if they fail to comply with this schedule — fines of up to $5,000 per day for future violations of Michigan Air Pollution Control law.
• The companies will pay a $350,000 fine for past odor violations which will go into the State General Fund.
  
   

Landfill gas

DTE Biomass dedicates renewable energy facility in North Carolina

DTE Biomass Energy, based in Detroit, celebrated the completion of its 9.6-megawatt landfill gas-to-energy project at the Uwharrie Environmental Landfill in Mt. Gilead, North Carolina, on Oct. 23, 2014.

DTE Biomass Energy began operating the facility at the landfill, which is owned and operated by Republic Services of North Carolina. Landfill gas at the site is used to generate renewable energy which is subsequently sold to Duke Energy Progress. The Uwharrie facility will more than double DTE Biomass’ generation capacity in North Carolina, where it already operates six renewable energy projects.

Representatives from DTE Biomass Energy, Republic Services and Duke Energy Progress gathered to recognize their partnership that has resulted in enough renewable energy to power more than 6,000 North Carolina homes. The project includes six Caterpillar engine generators and a staff of three.

“We have built strong relationships with several North Carolina-based contractors, Montgomery County, Republic Services and Duke Energy Progress,” says Mark Cousino, DTE Biomass Energy president. “This collaboration was instrumental in the successful launch of the project and provides a solid foundation for continued growth of these partnerships moving forward.”

DTE Biomass announced at the project dedication that it will fund an endowed scholarship at Montgomery Community College. The scholarship will enable students that meet the financial need criteria to be able to pursue a degree in the college’s Electrical Systems Technology Program.

“The college is excited to be in this new partnership with DTE Biomass,” says Mary Chesson, interim president, Montgomery Community College. “This endowed scholarship will provide continuous support for our students and is clear evidence of DTE Biomass’ long-term commitment to the college and Montgomery County.”

DTE Biomass Energy is a wholly owned subsidiary of DTE Energy, a diversified energy holding company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide.

 

Company news

Renewable Energy from Waste relocates to new corporate headquarters

GIE Media Inc., the parent company of the Recycling Today Media Group, which publishes Renewable Energy from Waste, and a leading business-to-business media company serving some 25 different industries through print and digital magazines, websites, e-newsletters, apps, conferences, reference books and other media platforms, has moved to new offices at 5811 Canal Rd., Valley View, Ohio 44125.

For several years the company has maintained two offices in northern Ohio: one in Richfield, Ohio, and one in Cleveland.

GIE acquired its new office building in March of this year and has been making renovations and updates to the property.

“Since purchasing the building, we’ve made considerable investments to support the technology that drives our business and provide all of GIE’s team members with a modern, efficient and productive workplace,” says Christopher Foster, company CEO. “With 25,000 square feet, the building can easily accommodate our current workforce of 90-plus, while also allowing ample room for continued growth. We’re excited to bring our team members under one roof in our new, centrally located office space.”

Throughout its history GIE has continued to invest in the development of leading-edge publications for the industries it serves. As the Internet has grown, and with it the development of digital media platforms, GIE has continued to expand its portfolio through multimedia platforms, video and database management tools.

Richard Foster founded GIE Media Inc. in 1980, beginning with one magazine and a staff of three in a small space above the Ohio City Tavern in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland. Business quickly doubled, and GIE Media moved to a larger location in Cleveland that is still owned by the company.

GIE Media Inc. is a leading marketing and communications business media company and the publisher of Recycling Today, Recycling Today Global Edition, Construction & Demolition Recycling, Storage & Destruction Business and Renewable Energy from Waste.

The goal of GIE Media is to publish business magazines, multiedia, e-newsletters, conferences, reference books and other forms of business media in growth industries with a quality standard based upon editorial value and market leadership.

The staff of the Recycling Today Media Group can be reached at the main telephone number of 216-393-0300. The direct-dial numbers for individual staff members also have changed and can be obtained by emailing your contact directly.

 

Municipal WTE

Oklahoma MRF receives sustainability stewardship award

American Waste Control (AWC), based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the largest waste collection, recycling and waste-to-energy (WTE) company in Oklahoma, has received the 2014 Henry Bellmon Sustainability Stewardship Award from the Rotary Club of Southside Tulsa and Sustainable Tulsa.

“I’m so proud of American Waste Control and what we stand for,” says Kenny Burkett, founder and owner of AWC. “This award really shows our efforts to make Tulsa a city we can be proud of and the passion we have for developing sustainable practices that improve people’s lives.”

The award was given at an event Oct. 9, 2014, at the Tulsa Convention Center. In receiving the award, AWC was recognized for its outstanding achievements in sustainability, which include the company’s citywide Mr. Murph recycling program as well as an innovative WTE capability project.

“We’re grateful to the committee for choosing us for this honor and promise to commit ourselves even further to reduce our waste and protect and sustain our community,” says Paul Ross, AWC general manager and vice president.

AWC manages a fleet of more than 100 collection vehicles and thousands of roll-off, front-end, compactor and curbside containers. In addition to its $10 million upgraded material recovery facility (MRF), AWC has developed a WTE project at its landfill, American Environmental Landfill, that is generating enough electricity to power more than 4,800 homes in Green Country, Oklahoma.

The company was featured in the cover story “Recovery mission” in the July/August 2014 issue of Renewable Energy from Waste magazine.

 

Mass burn/incineration

Honolulu WTE plant recognized by SWANA

The city and county of Honolulu was named the winner of the SWANA Gold Excellence Award in the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) category for H-Power by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA). The award was presented Aug. 26, 2014, at SWANA’s annual Wastecon conference in Dallas.

“Converting opala [Hawaiian word for garbage] to energy, eliminating the need for one million barrels of imported oil every year, and generating revenue through energy sales to HECO make H-Power a vital part of the city’s sustainable future,” Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell says. “This technology is bringing us closer to eliminating the need for an everyday landfill on Oahu, with the third boiler making it possible for us to burn sludge and car parts that in the past were sent to the landfill.”

H-Power incorporates refuse-derived fuel and mass-burn technologies on the same site, allowing for comprehensive and strategic management of the island’s wastes. Additionally, H-Power produces up to 73 megawatts of net renewable baseload power, reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels.

SWANA’s Excellence Awards Program recognizes outstanding solid waste programs and facilities that advance the practice of environmentally and economically sound solid waste management through their commitment to utilizing effective technologies and processes in system design and operations, advancing worker and community health and safety, and implementing successful public education and outreach programs.

 

Biomass

ReEnergy Black River to provide biomass power to New York Army Base

The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency has awarded a 20-year contract to ReEnergy Black River, a subsidiary of Latham, New York-based ReEnergy Holdings. Under the terms of this renewable energy supply agreement, ReEnergy Black River says it will provide secure, renewable electricity to Fort Drum.

The Defense Logistics Agency, the entity that awarded the contract, provides the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, other federal agencies and combined and allied forces with logistics, acquisition and technical services.

ReEnergy Black River submitted a proposal in spring 2013 to the Defense Logistics Agency as part of a competitive procurement process to provide renewable power to Fort Drum, a U.S. Army installation that is home to 37,000 soldiers and family members and employs almost 4,000 civilians.

The federal government is increasing its demand for long-term renewable energy as a result of renewable goals established in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Executive Order 13423, and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. In addition, the Army has established a goal to achieve 1 gigawatt of renewable energy by 2025.

This contract is considered the largest renewable energy project in the history of the U.S. Army.

The ReEnergy Black River facility, located inside the fence at Fort Drum, has 60 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity. Before it was idled in early 2010 by its former owner, the facility primarily burned coal to produce electricity. ReEnergy acquired the facility in December 2011 and invested more than $34 million to convert the facility to use biomass as its primary fuel. The converted facility commenced operations in May 2013. It employs 33 individuals and purchases biomass from suppliers that employ approximately 145 individuals to sustainably harvest biomass fuel from local forests. The facility will provide all of Fort Drum’s electricity needs, which currently peaks at about 28 MW.

The facility began supplying 100 percent of Fort Drum’s electrical load as of Nov. 1. Under the terms of the agreement, ReEnergy will build an electric transmission line to directly connect the ReEnergy Black River facility to Fort Drum’s two substations. Prior to the completion of that line, which is anticipated for late summer 2015, ReEnergy will arrange for bilateral deliveries to Fort Drum’s substations through an energy service company.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) selected ReEnergy Black River to sell renewable energy credits (RECs) to NYSERDA under New York’s Renewable Portfolio Standard. The Renewable Portfolio Standard, administered by NYSERDA, is a program that is tasked with obtaining 30 percent of New York’s electricity from renewable sources by 2015.

Through a program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and in collaboration with SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, the ReEnergy Black River facility also will use locally grown shrub willow as a fuel.

ReEnergy Holdings LLC, a portfolio company of Riverstone Holdings LLC, owns and/or operates facilities that use forest-derived woody biomass and other waste residues to produce renewable energy.