NRG To Make Biomass Announcement On Monday

A special announcement on NRG's formal bid to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on the conversion of a Montville power plant to biomass will take place on Monday, an NRG spokesman said today.

The announcement will take place at 1:30 p.m. at the Montville plant on Lathrop Road, according to spokesman David Gaier. According to The Bulletin, state government representatives said the proposal to be filed with DEEP will expand upon an existing clean energy proposal by incorporating solar and wind elements.

Mayor Ron McDaniel will join industry executives and local members of the Connecticut state government to discuss the application. Guests will include State Senators Cathy Osten and Andrea Stillman; State Reps. Tim Bowles, Betsy Ritter, and Kevin Ryan; members of the Montville Town Council; John Olsen of the Connecticut AFL-CIO; and Tony Sheridan of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut.

The plant earlier announced that it was planning to shift from natural gas and oil to wood biomass. The conversion would allow the plant to forestry residues, tree trimmings, and recycled wood gathered from within 100 miles of the power station, according to the company's website. NRG says the conversion would allow the plant to produce 40 megawatts of carbon-neutral energy to support about 32,000 residences. 

The company says the project would create about 75 construction jobs during the one-year phase to convert a steam unit at the plant to accept biomass and support 200 jobs in the local economy by taking in biomass from southeastern Connecticut.