http://www.statesmanexaminer.com/content/blogcategory/18/60/3/9/
BioEnergy Park holds promise
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Dale Borgford has some big plans that hold
future promise in the energy field.
Ambitious project looks to boost local economy
BY JAMIE HENNEMAN
S-E Staff Reporter
In a few short weeks, Dale Borgford and his team from Borgford BioEnergy will be breaking ground on a new project that holds economic promise for Eastern Washington. Soon Borgford will begin construction on the Kulzer BioEnergy Park in Valley that will produce 4.7 megawatts of electricity while producing marketable products like biochar (to be used as a soil amendment), distilled water (likely to be sold in glass bottles), home heating oil and other products. The plant will be fueled by locally sourced biomass, including tree bark, chip and pulpwood logs and other agricultural, forest and sawmill wastes. “There is a huge amount of cheap, usable energy available in our area,” said Borgford. “Right now much of this waste is ending up in landfills, but we have a plan to change that.” Borgford’s goal is to create 40 family wage jobs at the plant, which is named after the former town site of Kulzer (near Valley), The plant will serve a dual purpose: creating a marketable product and generating electricity to sell back to Avista. The 4.7 megawatt plant will create enough electricity to power 3,384 homes. Selling electricity back to Avista is a realistic plan, said Borgford, due to the fact that state regulations require Avista to have a certain percentage of their “energy portfolio” in renewable energy. “There is no profit in making electricity by itself, but once you are making electricity and have high pressure steam, you have the opportunity to capture that steam and put it to work via a closed system,” said Borgford.
Nearby sources
According to Borgford’s studies, the most cost effective way to get a plant like the one planned for the Valley location going is to source the fuel from no more than 25 miles away. This creates not only a boon for the immediate area, but reduces transport costs of materials. “We are planning several small plants in the state that are no more than five megawatts in size,” said Borgford. “The Kulzer site will be the show system that the other plants can use to build from.” The Kulzer plant will give foresters an alternative to burning slash piles and may reduce the amount of waste in the county landfill by diverting those wastes to the bioenergy plant. For these entities, the plant provides answers to problems that must be addressed, said Borgford. “Bioenergy needs to be done. We can’t be burning slash piles in the forest that release carbon into the air or filling up our landfills which produce methane gas,” he said. “By doing those things, we are fouling our own nest.” There are also better uses for those wastes. Borgford estimates that one ton of wood product can result in 700 pounds of biochar, 700 pounds of home heating oil and 600 pounds of syn gas that can be used to produce electricity. “About 98 percent of the energy used by mankind today is derived from biomass in the form of solar energy stored by plants in photosynthesis,” he said. “Plants store over 60 times the total energy consumed by humans annually. The amount of unused biomass produced in the world is staggering.”
Federal funds help support project
The Kulzer BioEnergy park project was recently awarded a $4 million grant by the federal government to help give the project a financial base. The total estimated cost for the project is $19 million, much of which Borgford said will “come out of my pocket.” Borgford, a long-time bioenergy enthusiast, said he is willing to invest in this project because he believes it is the way that the nation will rework itself from the current economic situation. “Small companies created jobs that built the nation,” he said. “I have never seen government jobs build the nation.” If Borgford’s plans comes to fruition, small generating plants in specific locations throughout the state will create more energy independence and more jobs. Borgford has already successfully “created jobs” in the manufacturing sector by way of his company, Borgford Design and Manufacturing. Borgford Design and Manufacturing is a 29-year-old company that designs and manufactures specialty agricultural and industrial equipment sold under the BoDozer label nationwide. Borgford BioEnergy will work with Washington State University and PNNL Batelle Labs on the development of the biochar product that the university will research as a soil amendment.
Along with providing a research opportunity, Borgford is planning for the energy project to be a “great community asset” by having a conference area and community center area that can be utilized by programs like 4-H and the Boy Scouts. As plans unfold for the project, Borgford said they have the community in mind. “We want the local citizens to be able to enjoy the Kulzer BioEnergy park facility and feel welcome,” he said.
