Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark has announced the first four companies selected to partner with the Washington State Dept. of Natural Resources in renewable energy projects using biomass from state forestlands.
- Parametrix (Bingen) will launch a pilot to convert woody biomass into liquid fuels at SDS Lumber, using fast pyrolysis technology.
- Borgford BioEnergy, LLC (Valley, Springdale) will use wood waste to generate electricity, bio-oil, syngas, and bio-char.
- Atlas Products (Omak) will use forest biomass to produce wood pellets for heating.
- Nippon Paper Industries USA, Ltd. (Port Angeles) will use wood waste for the cogeneration of heat and electricity at its paper mill, as well as selling excess energy.
The projects will use woody biomass that the companies purchase in part from state trust lands managed by DNR. The biomass can come from timber harvests or be removed during forest health treatments, such as thinning over-crowded and fire-prone tree stands.
“These four partners will put their technologies to work using forest products they purchase from state trust lands to produce clean, sustainable energy and rural jobs,” said Goldmark. “These projects have a huge potential to help encourage rural economic development and improve the health of fire-prone forests. This will hopefully be the beginning of a new green industry on state lands.”
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