Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Energy.

An aging coal plant that still provides power to farms and families in the Upper Midwest could be producing clean, renewable energy in less than two years.

The plant is being modified to use biomass—primarily wood waste—and the G&T that originally built it will buy all the power it produces.

Dairyland Power built the E.J. Stoneman plant at Cassville, Wisconsin in 1951. The La Crosse, Wis.-based G&T sold the 50-megawatt facility in 1996. Now, DTE Energy Services, of Ann Arbor, Mich., is buying the plant from Integrys Energy Services with plans to complete the conversion by June 1, 2010.

“This renewable resource is a winner on all levels,” said William L. Berg, Dairyland’s president and CEO. Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
Dairyland has committed to purchasing 40 MW of electricity— enough power to serve the needs of 28,000 households. “It recycles waste wood for use as fuel to generate electricity for a very significant number of energy users,” Berg said.

DTE Energy has been looking at older coal-based plants that offer good potential renewable capacity at conversion costs well below new construction, said Rod Christian, a company executive. 
“It’s a great way to prolong the life of the facility and keep it contributing to the local economy.”

Noting that many smaller, older coal plants supply power to co-ops, Christian said, “We can convert them at our capital cost and provide them (co-ops) green power.”

The Stoneman plant is accessible by barge, rail and truck, which can all be used to bring in fuel. Besides waste from sawmill and timber operations, shipping pallets, scrap wood and other materials could be shredded for fuel use instead of going to a landfill, said Christian. “It’s a low cost for renewable power option for cooperatives.”
Because biomass is a less efficient fuel source than coal, it will reduce the plant’s capacity by about 20 percent.

This article by Derrill Holly is reprinted with permission from Electric Cooperative Today.