Laidlaw Energy Group, Inc. (Laidlaw) has withdrawn its bid to construct a 20 megawatt (MW) woodchip burning biomass facility in Henniker, as of now. According to Laidlaw’s officials, the company has decided to shift the focus towards Berlin for now, where it intends to build a 66 MW biomass plant. The company is now putting together its application for the state's Site Evaluation Committee, which will determine whether the biomass plant can move forward.
Laidlaw vice president of planning Lou Bravakis, said that the company wants to resubmit its application for two zoning variances to the board later in 2009.
I want to be clear that the withdrawal is just for the time being, said Bravakis, adding that the Henniker decision was reached last month after the company reviewed its long-term goals. Its application was first submitted in April. The Berlin project is just further along. We still think this project would be good for the area, good for the state and good for the town.
Bravakis also continued that Laidlaw in December 2008, bought 60 acres and an old woodchip boiler from North American Dismantling.
Berlin Mayor David Bertrand, said that the company has a long way to go before it builds a plant on the site of the town’s former pulp mill downtown. Bertrand wanted to see the downtown parcel of land used for more than one large project.
My feeling is that most of the people do not want it. It’s going to be a contentious project. That’s my outlook, Bertrand said of Laidlaw’s plan to bring the proposal before the Site Evaluation Committee. I don’t know if ‘fight’ is the right word. We’re certainly going to monitor the process closely.
The plan was opposed by members of the REACH.
REACH President Ron Lajoie, said that he was pleased with the withdrawal decision and that the company never addressed specific issues, such as pollution output and valuation of surrounding properties, about its proposed facility.
What REACH was hoping to do was get citizens in Henniker involved in asking tough questions, Lajoie said. We never were told what was going to be coming out of that smokestack. We were never told about what kind of chemicals would be released. It seemed as though we were being stonewalled on those questions.
In the last meeting held in October 2008, zoning board members asked Laidlaw to come to its next meeting prepared with specifics on environmental controls and building design.