Watertown Biomass Project

About Watertown Renewable Power

In 2003 the state of Connecticut adopted a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). One of the goals of the RPS is to stimulate the production of electrical energy using indigenous resources. The Watertown Renewable Power (WRP) project, which is being developed by Tamarack Energy, Inc., will utilize fluidized bed technology, a steam turbine generator, and state-of-the-art emissions controls.  This system will convert clean wood chips into 30 megawatts (MW) of reliable, sustainable, and renewable energy in a region of the state that is in need of new electrical generating capacity. The project has been selected to participate in the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund’s Project 150 program, has executed a power purchase agreement with Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P), will create a significant number of jobs in the region, and will add measurably to the community’s industrial tax base.

Biomass Basics

Biomass is one of the most promising renewable energy resources for the northeastern US. Organic materials such as wood and other quick-growing plants can be converted into electricity or clean-burning fuels in an environmentally-friendly and sustainable way.

By using renewable plant materials that are harvested on a sustainable basis for energy generation, biomass technologies help meet numerous federal and state environmental policy mandates, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, preserving and improving important wildlife habitat, and limiting the environmental damage associated with the extraction and combustion of traditional fossil fuels.

Energy produced from domestic renewable resources reduces our dependence on imported oil, creates new job opportunities, and expands economic growth. It is estimated that biomass accounts for approximately 60 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, or about 2 percent of the nation’s total electricity production. With continued demand for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is estimated that biomass may be able to provide between 8 and 16 percent of the total U.S. electric needs in the future.

Project Status

Tamarack Energy has secured a 33 acre industrially zoned site near the intersection of Echo Lake Road and Route 8 in Watertown, CT. The site was chosen on the basis of its proximity to fuel supply, availability of suitable truck access routes that avoid residential and commercial areas, access to existing transmission lines, compatible surrounding land use, minimal visual impact on the surrounding community and other environmental considerations. Watertown Renewable Power was selected by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund to be part of its Project 150 program. As part of the Project 150 program, Tamarack Energy executed a 15 year contract with CL&P for the sale of a large portion of the project’s power and environmental attributes. Permitting for construction of the Watertown Project is substantially complete. It is expected that construction on the project will begin in 2008 and the facility will be operational by spring 2011. For more news on the project click here

Environmental Benefits

• Reduced air emissions (PM, SOX, NOX) compared to fossil fuel plants
• Helps to combat climate change (biomass energy generation is considered to be carbon neutral)
• Encourages sound forest management by providing a suitable method of disposal for undesirable, diseased, storm damaged, and invasive plant species
• Productively uses clean waste wood which would otherwise take up valuable landfill space or which would be disposed of through uncontrolled open burning, illegal dumping, or being left in place to rot and spread disease

Economic Benefits

• The 30 MW project will supply enough energy to power approximately 30,000 homes in the Watertown area
• Generate 200 construction jobs over the 18 month construction period
• The facility will employ up to 20 full time skilled employees
• The wood fuel supply infrastructure will create approximately 100 jobs for the area
• Significant increase in the industrial tax base for the town of Watertown
• Provide Connecticut and the region with a reliable source of clean, renewable, sustainable energy

Fuel Requirements

The project’s principal source of wood fuel will be forest management residue. The bulk of the material will come from forest land management activities in Connecticut, eastern New York and western Massachusetts. It is anticipated that a modest amount of primary mill waste (clean sawdust or chipped slab wood) and recycled wood waste may also be made available to the facility. The facility will not accept painted or treated wood. The project will purchase and consume approximately 300,000 tons of clean waste wood to produce 213 million kilowatt hours of clean, renewable energy per year.