You asked for a status report on the Tallon Lumber Biomass Cogeneration project.

The project is designed to convert woodchips from the Tallon sawmill in North Canaan, Connecticut into gas. The gas would be used to generate approximately 300 kilowatts of electricity (a kilowatt is the amount of energy used by a 100-watt light bulb over ten hours). In addition, the heat created in generating the power would be used to heat the sawmill. The technology produces very little waste and can be sized to meet the electrical and heating needs for sawmills and similar types of businesses.

The project was proposed following a study conducted by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) and Connecticut Light & Power of the feasibility of this technology. The contractor that conducted the study, Renova, selected Tallon Lumber as a host site in spring 2002. In 2002 and 2003 various firms were selected for the components of the plant, such as the woodchip dryer, gasifier (the equipment that turns the woodchips into gas), and generator. The gasifier and generator were commissioned (tested) in 2005. The plant ran for 53 hours, after which CCEF decided it needed a better way to clean up the gas in order to remove tars created in the gasification process. The original design used a pollution control device known as an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) for this purpose,

At this point, CCEF brought in four contractors to investigate the ESP. As reported in the May 28, 2007 edition of Hartford Business, Connecticut Innovations, Inc. , which administers the CCEF, approved an additional expenditure of $ 484,000 in 2006 to modify the ESP and address other issues at the project. The appropriation provided up to $ 250,000 to purchase new equipment and to cover the cost of running the gasifier for six months. However, the company that had supplied the original gasifier (Pudhas Energia) wanted five times the price it had originally quoted CCEF for the ESP modifications. CCEF staff told the company that the deal was over unless the price was reduced. Pudhas made a lower offer, which was still four times the original quote.

CCEF subsequently chose an alternative pollution control technology (wet scrubbers) at a lower cost. The design of the scrubbers is complete and CCEF has authorized their fabrication. CCEF staff anticipates that the wet scrubbers will be installed in the next 10 to 12 weeks. CCEF hopes to complete shakedown tests by the end of March, 2008. The project then will undergo 12 months of further testing to determine its actual operating costs and characteristics. During this time, the power produced by the project will be sold to Tallon lumber.

According to Jim Tallon, president of Tallon Lumber, contractors for the CCEF conducted a test run of the generator in early December 2007, using diesel as the fuel. They also replaced start-up batteries.

KM: ts