Notes from CLC meeting on 10 September 2013

Here are a few interesting tidbits I picked up from the CLC meeting on Tuesday, 10 September 2013.

• Construction update: Equipment is arriving, concrete is being poured, machinery is there, engines are there.
• Construction will be complete by the end of the year; operations will start at the end of the year, and ramp up to capacity over six months.
• The plant design is based on those in Austria, with changes to comply with Canadian building codes.
• There will be no feedstock from biomass specifically grown for biogas digesters. That would require a different design.
• The flare will not be temperature monitored; the MoE totally eliminated the temperature requirements. It is designed to be supplemented with natural gas to boost the temperature to 850°C. There is a 4 inch pipe to supply 10 psi of natural gas, should it be required.
• The engines will run at less than 40% methane in the biogas, but nominal operating concentration is 60% methane.
• Natural gas will not be used to run the engines powering the generators.
• Frey Farms (map) has been awarded a 250 KW FIT contract to generate electricity. Bio-en will supply them with biogas, and possibly heat. There could be a pipeline to supply hot oil. The amount of gas to be used by Frey Farms represents about 9% of Bio-en’s capacity.
• The CLC has struck a committee to draw up a presentation to Woolwich Council to request a letter of credit for matching funds for use for the payment of technical engineering or scientific advice about or review of the operations of the facility (q.v Environmental Review Tribunal Decision, section 6)
• A site tour for members of the CLC is still premature. There’s still too much dirt. Maybe before the next meeting.

The next CLC meeting is scheduled for Monday, 4 November 2013 in the Dodie Hummel Room of the Woolwich Township building. However, that’s also the date of the televised Council meeting. Keep an eye on Bio-en’s CLC Agendas page for the actual agenda.

–Bob.

Addendum: Alan Marshall from the Elmira Advocate wrote some more notes on the meeting at Woolwich Bio-en Citizens Liaison Committee