The 34-acre SRS biomass cogeneration facility replaced a deteriorating and inefficient 1950s-era coal powerhouse and oil-fired boilers.
The facility will generate an estimated $944m in savings in energy, operation and maintenance costs over the duration of the contract.
Clean biomass, consisting of local forest residue and wood chips, and bio-derived fuels will be the primary fuel source for the high-tech renewable energy facility, which has the capacity to combust 385,000 tons of forest residue into 20MW of clean power annually.
DOE signed onto an energy savings performance contract with Ameresco in 2009 to finance, design, construct, operate, maintain, and fuel the new biomass facility under a 20-year fixed price contract valued at $795m.
