According to investors, the plant will prevent 2.1 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent from being released and, over its 20-year lifetime, will save around 1.3 million tonnes of wood from landfill. There is, however, only so much waste wood available — and plenty of other potential uses for much of it, including reclaiming it for future construction. In the long run, the question of sustainable sources of feedstocks will be a central concern for any large-scale expansion of wood gasification.
Construction and demolition debris wood that once helped make energy is, instead, taking up space in the landfill, where it will lie, indefinitely, until it decomposes.
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“We suspended using that material, which, unfortunately, has caused some hardship to us and our suppliers,” said Sarah Boggess, a spokesperson for New York-based ReEnergy Holdings. “We’re hoping circumstances will change.”
The plants stopped using demolition debris wood because of the June 5 enactment of changes to rules in Connecticut on renewable energy credits, according to Boggess and Greg Leahey, senior vice president of asset management for ReEnergy.
The changes, she said, mean energy produced with construction and demolition wood no longer qualifies for class 1 renewable energy credits. The firm had been selling renewable energy credits generated by its operations in Maine in the Connecticut renewable energy credits market.
ReEnergy’s Maine plants still are operating, but now they make electricity using only “green” biomass, such as brush and other forest material, which is still eligible for renewable energy credits.