Lyonsdale Biomass facility to be dismantled, looking for prospects

In New York, the Lyonsdale Biomass energy facility will be dismantled this summer and the vacant 46-acre property will be transferred to the Lewis County Industrial Development Agency, and ReEnergy will work with the Lewis County IDA to market the site and share prospect leads, according to the Lewis County IDA press release.

The 22-megawatt biomass-to-electricity energy facility had used biomass material from logging operations and local sawmills to produce an average of 162,000 MWh of electricity per year, enough to supply approximately 21,000 homes. The facility also had supplied process steam to the adjacent Twin Rivers paper mill when requested and its ash by-product was used by local farmers as fertilizer.

“We believe this property can be an effective asset for future economic development in Lewis County. Prospective developers, potentially in the forestry or energy production industries, will find this property attractive for business growth,” said Eric Virkler, executive director of the Lewis County Industrial Development Agency.

Under the terms of the agreement, “There are multiple parties who have shown an interest in developing the site, and the interconnection to the electricity grid makes the site of interest to solar developers,” said ReEnergy Chief Executive Officer Larry D. Richardson. “We also have been in talks with biofuel companies that are interested in siting a biorefinery in New York State.”