Coronal executives give community update on waste-to-energy facility
The Renewable Energy Clean Air Project plasma gasification facility has been discussed at length in the International Falls community over the past several years.
Thursday, members of the community were able to learn more about the proposed facility from staff of Coronal, a RECAP partner and some of the most knowledgeable sources of information on the technology and the International Falls project.
Coronal’s Chief Technical Officer John Howard III, and Chief Financial Officer Stephen Korstad presented the project and answered questions from members of the community attending the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Brown Bag Lunch.
“We literally, truly are doing significant work,” Howard said. He explained that not only is this project of interest to people in Borderland, but to people around the world considering similar projects.
“It’s real critical where these sites are selected,” Howard explained, noting that Koochiching County had the necessary components to be considered for this type of project.
Already, Coronal, the Koochiching Economic Development Authority, and area officials have been getting questions from around the country and around the world — and they are just now completing the feasibility study.
Howard called the feasibility study, printed and presented on a table from which he spoke, the guest of honor at the lunch. The study has taken years to complete, and the final chapters are now undergoing review.
The U.S. Department of Energy and engineering firm RW Beck are reviewing the feasibility study.
“It’s been very positive this far, the results we’ve gotten back,” Howard said.
Howard explained the plasma gasification facility would, in general, produce two types of outputs: synthetic gas and slag. The “syngas,” comes from organic waste and would be sold as sources of energy, such as steam. Slag, the byproduct of gasifying inorganic waste, can be sold as road aggregate, tile and bricks, among other products.
The syngas would be sold at a discounted rate from other suppliers of natural gas, Korstad noted, giving customers a price break and making them more competitive in the market.
Both byproducts and the process are environmentally friendly, Howard explained. In fact, he said, the Chicago Climate Exchange carbon credit exchange did not know how to handle this “negative polluter,” which actually works to reduce overall pollution rather than minimizing its own pollution output (the typical credit-earners).
According to Coronal, Minnesota has a 40-percent recycling rate and dumps more than 2 million tons of refuse into landfills. The goal for 2011 is for more of the waste to be recycled or changed into energy through facilities such as RECAP. The target is for 50 percent of waste to be recycled, up to 35 percent converted to energy, and only 15 percent to be placed in a landfill.
Currently, Howard notes, Koochiching County residents only recycle 26.6 percent of their waste.
The RECAP facility is projected to convert about 180 tons of trash each day, for a total of 57,600 tons of waste per year. That number can be changed based on demand and waste availability.
Municipal solid waste could be collected from a 130 mile radius from International Falls, Howard said, potentially including waste from Canada.
The project would create between 15 and 20 technical jobs. Minnesota colleges and universities have been engaged to train personnel. Howard adds that more than 100 indirect jobs, such as construction, would be generated, as well.
After the feasibility study is completed and approved, the next step would be design, permitting and preconstruction. Funds for those stages of the process are coming from matching state and federal dollars, for a total of just under $5 million.
Coronal staff estimate that it will take 18 months to two years before they break ground. Construction may take another 18 months to just less than two years. The final step is commissioning of the facility.
The total estimated cost for the project is $36 million-$40 million. It is anticipated that most of the money would come from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Minnesota state bonding program, although municipal bonds and private sector money may be used. Local money has not been used on the initial phases of the project.
“(This project) will produce jobs, will provide energy to users and will provide revenue to the community,” Howard said. “If we can do it here in little International Falls, we can do it anywhere in the United States.”
