FERC: 108 MW of biomass power brought online in November

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Office of Energy Projects has published the November edition of its Energy Infrastructure Update, reporting that eight new biomass generation units were placed into service during the month with a combined capacity of 108 megawatts (MW).

According to the report, 75 new biomass generation units were placed into service during the first 11 months of 2013. Together, these units have a combined capacity of 519 MW. In 2012, 148 biomass units with a combined capacity of 565 MW were placed into service during the first 11 months of the year.

In addition to the eight biomass units placed into service in November, the FERC also reported that one water unit with a capacity of 4 MW, four wind units with a combined 81 MW of capacity, one geothermal steam unit with a capacity of 25 MW, and 14 solar units with a combined 177 MW of capacity were placed into serve. No new coal, natural gas, nuclear, oil or waste heat units were placed into service during the month.

As of the close of November, the FERC reported that there was 15.49 gigawatts (GW) of installed operating biomass generating capacity in the U.S. This equates to approximately 1.34 percent of total capacity.

Within the November report, the FERC highlighted two biomass projects that came online during the month. EDF Renewable Energy Service’s two biomass plants in South Carolina were brought online in November. The project includes the Dorchester Biomass Plant and the Allendale Biomass Plant. The report also noted that Weyerhauser Co.’s 50 MW Rothchild, Wis., biomass phase 4 expansion project in Marathon County, Wis., is now online. The facility sells power to Wisconsin Energy Corp. under a long-term contract.