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Pacific Power Taps into Biomass by Becky Brun NW Current, February 28, 2007

Pacific Power in February announced plans to purchase electricity from a proposed 10-megawatt (MW) woody biomass power plant in Lyons, Ore.

The plant, constructed by Evergreen BioPower, burns residual waste wood to create steam. The steam can be used for the lumber drying process and to generate electricity. The Evergreen BioPower plant is slated to burn enough waste wood from Freres Lumber Co. to power about 5,400 homes annually, according to Pacific Power.

A subsidiary of Portland-based PacifiCorp, Pacific Power cites increases in natural gas prices along with governmental incentives as the motivation behind cogeneration projects such as the one at Freres Lumber. Pacific Power is working with various industry groups including the Forest Biomass Work Group, Oregon Forest Resources Institute and Energy Trust of Oregon to locate potential sites for additional woody biomass power plants.

The utility added more than 30 MW of biomass resources to its renewable portfolio in the past year as part of a commitment to increase its renewable energy supply by 1,400 MW by 2015.