East Texas Cooperative Gives Biomass Project's EPC Contractor Full Notice to Proceed

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--East Texas Cooperative Incorporated (Nacogdoches, Texas) held a ceremonial groundbreaking last week to officially mark the start of construction on its new biomass energy project in Woodville, Texas. The Woodville Renewable Energy project gave its EPC contractor, Gemma Power Systems (Glastonbury, Connecticut), through construction manager GDS Associates (Austin, Texas), full notice to proceed with development of the project.

Next week, contractors will begin to mobilize at the site to begin driving pilings and start underground and surface work, so the project can continue with construction during the winter months.

The 50-megawatt plant will utilize biomass material from North American Procurement Chip Mill (Woodville, Texas), and it has a 25-year agreement to supply 100% of the wood material for the plant. The wood chips will fire a stoker grate boiler and steam turbine generator, which will produce electricity to meet increased power needs in the utility's service area, ensuring fewer power outages for cooperative members during severe weather.

The estimated $199.7 million project is expected to be in full swing by the end of the year, and completed and producing power by December 2014.

The plant will be located roughly 2.5 miles southwest of Woodville in Tyler County, and will create 25 full-time jobs and about 75 jobs to handle woodchip production and delivery to the site.

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View Project Report - 1013158

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