Government Energy Policy, Business and Technology

Converting Oregon Coal Plant to Biomass Stokes Controversy

Renewable Energy World: Plans to convert a coal-fired power plant in Oregon into what would be the nation’s largest biomass facility will be tested before year’s end when 8,000 tons of toasted wood thinned from a national forest is burned to ensure compatibility with the power plant’s equipment.

Portland General Electric is considering whether it can use renewable feed stock to forestall a planned decommissioning of the Boardman, Ore., plant in 2020 that has been in the works since 2010.

The investor-owned utility also sees conversion to biomass as a potential means of meeting its obligation under an Oregon bill enacted in March that accelerates compliance requirements for the renewable portfolio standards, PGE spokesman Steve Corson told Bloomberg BNA Oct. 27. The Oregon bill requires at least half the state’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2040.

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