Submitted to Shelton Blog by Katherine Price
Fourth Energy, a Scottish Company, to Import Biomass
“The firm has admitted that much of the wood chip needed for the plant will have to be brought by boat from North America and Europe.”
The above quote was taken from an article about a biomass incinerator proposed for Scotland. Because they do not have enough of their own "bio-waste," they plan to purchase and ship it to Scotland from North America and Europe.
I have no idea what incentives they are being given by their government to come up with "green" alternative energy, but it must be staggering if it will subsidize the purchase and transport of “wood chip” from North America and Europe.
I hate to burst the bubble of those folks in Scotland, but if America goes bio-massacre crazy, as it seems intent on doing, we will surely not be selling and shipping any of our wood chips to Scotland. Our garbage, perhaps…but we are going to want our biomass to stay right here, to be burned by the likes of ADAGE and Simpson/Solomon.
The Department of Natural Resources provided figures on permitted slash burns for the past three years. Those figures are actually proof that ADAGE is going to be burning something besides “slash.” The slash permitted and burned annually would operate the ADAGE facility for nine and one-half days. After which they will begin burning…? We don’t know. That’s the $50 million question, isn’t it?
While ADAGE has contracted with Green Diamond Resources (who is not Simpson), to provide them with fuel for their plant, it still begs the question: What type of fuel is Green Diamond going to be providing ADAGE? 600,000 tons a year of what?
I don’t think any of these bio-massacre plants are going to become operational. I think they MAY get to break ground, and maybe they will get their big fat federal dollars, but I really don’t even think that is going to happen. Mostly because of citizen ire; citizen ire is slowing these things down enough for a reality check.
What I think is going to happen, because of groups around the planet who are resisting this, is that we will delay one project after another until the EPA and Kyoto re-evaluate what they think they know about this. I think science and medicine will trump the crazy idea of caveman technology being the answer to the planet's energy crisis.
I think if we keep holding the line, if we keep pushing back, if we continue to pressure elected officials, whether they like it or not...in the end, our right to breathe will trump their right to make money at all costs.
Link to quoted Edinburgh News article
Be aware that investigative reporting by the Spokesman-Review of Spokane, WA, reported on 5-16-10 that Europe was already purchasing wood chips, "hogfuel", from the Pacific Northwest. Along with local users, the increased demand is driving prices of useable biomass up making it more costly to run a biomass electrical generating plant, such as Kettle Falls.
ReplyDeleteHogfuel.
ReplyDeleteThat which we think of as sustenance for our amazing forests; why we have amazing mushrooms of all shapes, sizes and colors; why moss and ferns grow out of everything once living that now lays on the ground; why it is so ever-loving green and beautiful around here.
Hogfuel.
Hogfuel from the Pacific Northwest.
Is that just wood chips? Really, how many wood chips can one community have?
Or is something made by John Deere sweeping the forest floors of all that the forest needs to thrive and survive and wrapping it up in a nice square to be shipped, to be burned, in Scotland, or Europe, or delivered to Johns Prairie.