50MW CHP plant completed at P&G paper facility
A 50 megawatt, biomass-fuelled combined heat and power (CHP) plant has been completed at one of Procter and Gamble’s (P&G) largest paper production facilities in the US.
The new plant is owned and operated by Constellation, a subsidiary of Exelon, and provides steam to P&G’s Albany, GA paper manufacturing facility. The CHP plant also generates electricity for Georgia Power, a local utility company. Steam from the plant will be used to power an 8.5 megawatt steam-to-electricity generator at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany.
P&G is committed to reducing energy consumption and obtaining 30% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. The new biomass facility, which uses scrap wood as feedstock, provides P&G with 100% of the steam energy used to make Bounty paper towels and Charmin toilet tissues at the Albany facility. Combined with P&G’s recent wind energy project in Texas, the new plant is helping nearly double the company’s use of renewable energy, and bring it close to two-thirds of the way towards its renewables goal
“By powering our Bounty and Charmin plant with renewable energy, consumers can feel good about putting these products in their carts,” said Stefano Zenezini, P&G vice president Product Supply and Sustainability. "We are using our innovative capabilities and those of our external partners to drive meaningful change that is good for the environment and good for business.”
Feedstock for the plant will come from locally abundant biomass that would otherwise be left to decay, burn or landfill, including discarded tree tops, limbs, branches and scrap wood from local forestry operations; crop residuals, such as pecan shells and peanut hulls; and mill waste such as sawdust.
“Constellation is proud to support P&G, Georgia Power and the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany toward achieving their renewable energy objectives,” said Gary Fromer, Constellation Senior Vice President of Distributed Energy. “Increasingly, customers and communities are looking to alternatives that provide greater flexibility in managing energy costs, improving reliability and achieving environmental objectives.”
Meanwhile, Wilson Mallard, director of renewable development for Georgia Power, said: "This Albany biomass projects brings many benefits for our state and nation, and we expect it will contribute to our state’s diverse energy sources for years to come.”
Georgia Power’s purchase of energy from Constellation is part of its multifaceted strategy to encourage and cultivate renewable energy sources in Georgia, a project approved by and co-developed with the Georgia Public Service Commission.
