Economic Development:

The Project will provide substantial economic stimulus to Nacogdoches and neighboring Counties.  The bulk of the operating organization will be hired from the local area.  There will also be significant economic benefits to the local and regional forestry industry.  One estimate of the employment benefit of a wood-fired power plant has been prepared by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of the Department of Energy in its publication, “The Value of the Benefits of U.S. Biomass Power” in which it concluded that 4.9 jobs per MW of installed capacity will be created.  The 100 MW plant is therefore estimated to result in 490 new jobs. 

Environmental Benefits:

The Project is designed to meet the best available control technology and will use a bubbling fluidized bed boiler with back-end emission controls. Additionally, the Project will use large amounts of pre-commercial thinnings from woodlots as well as residue remaining from logging operations.  This process will remove material that would otherwise be left to decompose releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas. 

In a January 2004 NREL concluded that using biomass fuel to generate electricity significantly reduces the production of greenhouse gases.  NREL has estimated that a biomass electric plant produces 148% less greenhouse gas than a comparable sized convential coal plant.