No Foul Play in Vermont Biomass Plant Fire

Excerpt from:

Middlebury Biomass Fire Still a Mystery
By Susie Steimle

Middlebury, Vermont - May 20, 2011

The biomass plant in Middlebury reduces the college's carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent, saves 1 million gallons annually in number 6 fuel oil and is projected to make Middlebury carbon-free by 2016, but for now progress is on pause. "Vermont fire marshal investigators have concluded that there was no foul play involved, no malicious intent, so from there it's a matter of us figuring out what really happened," said Michael Moser, the assistant director of facilities at Middlebury College.

Middlebury staffers say they're stumped when it comes to the fire which started spontaneously in the biomass plant Monday. No one was hurt in the fire which started in the plant's baghouse filter system. "The baghouse filter system is part of the emissions control component for the plant, reducing particulate emissions," Moser explained.

The baghouse filter helps keep the plant green. Without it, potentially harmful particulates will pollute the air. It's the part causing problems at a similarly designed plant in Poultney. Unlike the plant in Poultney, Middlebury's biomass plant has been online since 2009. Officials say this week's fire was a fluke.

Green Mountain College's biomass plant has been having baghouse filter problems since December 2010; they've yet to come into compliance with state. In March, Green Mountain's biomass plant director said they were working closely with the state to bring the plant online. "As you bring all of these mechanical components into play there's a whole lot of tuning and tweaking that has to happen to get it to run very smoothly," said Glenn LaPlante, the biomass plant director at Green Mountain College.

State officials say the plant has since shut down for the summer-- another cost for a plant that's still not paid for. The plant in Poultney cost $5.8 million to build and won't be paid off for at least 18 years. The plant in Middlebury cost more than double that at $12 million. Officials say they expect it will take at least 20 years for the plant to turn a profit.

Link to complete article:
http://www.wcax.com/story/14687547/middlebury-biomass-fire-still-a-mystery