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New Biomass Plants Eyed for Northwest by Staff Washington Energy Services, February 20, 2009

Washington State may soon be home to a new 50-watt biomass plant, according to a recent announcement.

Energy Northwest and Adage, an energy company, have teamed up to develop four biomass plants would each produce about 50 megawatts while burning wood waste. A megawatt is enough to power about 800 homes.

Along with Washington, plants would also be located in Oregon, Idaho and Montana, and for added efficiency, would be located near existing timber operations.

"Our entry into the wood biopower field is a natural extension of Energy Northwest's long history of environmentally responsible power generation using hydro, wind, solar and nuclear technologies," Energy Northwest CEO Vic Parrish said in a company statement.

Parrish added that along with creating jobs, other benefits of a biomass industry in the region would be a decreased forest fire danger. He also said that the biomass would be carbon-neutral because burning wood would release carbon that would be re-absorbed into nearby trees.

The Northwest has long been establishing itself as a leader in the overall renewable energy industry, having also made substantial investments in solar and wind energy in recent years while also being the location of tests for emerging technologies like tidal power.