LOGANSPORT —
Curious citizens crowded council chambers of the city building Wednesday evening to discuss a project to power the city with trash.
Residents posed questions in response to a plan city officials announced Tuesday evening. The city is looking for a private entity to invest at least $500 million into turning the existing coal-fired power plant into a plant that burns pellets of residual refuse.
Officials have said the project would add jobs, use renewable energy and allow Logansport to achieve energy independence in the long run.
Questions ranged from where the trash would come from to why other U.S. locations don’t have the pellet technology and whether trash used as fuel would be safe.
Bill Finks, Logansport, attended the meeting to find out more information on the proposed trash pellets.
“I was looking at where they would get the trash, if Logansport couldn’t create enough,” Finks said
According to the team of seven experts headed by consulting firm William-Lynn-James, a third of the pellets would be manufactured in Logansport and two thirds would be brought in.
About $200,000 has been spent on pre-planning stages, according to Logansport Municipal Utilities superintendent Paul Hartman. If the project goes through, he said, the money will be given back. But if it doesn’t, LMU is out those funds.
“$500 million is a whole lot of money, but if we weren’t serious we wouldn’t be going through this,” Hartman said. “We’ve talked to nearly 50 entities and the interest is there.”
The plant would burn solid waste pellets and would achieve total system capacity of 300 megawatts compared to the 38 megawatts the coal plant currently generates. Consultants estimate the new plant would allow the city to generate electricity at a cost of 4.5 to 5.5 cents per kilowatt-hour.
The other recourse discussed at Tuesday’s Utility Service Board meeting, if nothing is changed with LMU’s current power plant, was to buy all power from current supplier Duke Energy, adding about 63 percent to an average residential electric bill.
Residents were curious whether Logansport would ever own the power plant, since the city is seeking a private entity to fund the project. Hartman said there is an option not to own it and that would be negotiated when proposals are looked at.
Dan Slusser, a member of the Utility Service Board, asked how the proposed and existing plants’ conformity to Environmental Protection Agency regulations would compare.
The current plant hasn’t been required to control emissions, Bernie Paul, president of B Paul Consulting LLC, said, but the new plant would.
Citizens also asked why other places in the U.S. are not using pellets as a fuel source. Alvaro Almuina, director of EllSo Consulting Inc. and one of the consulting team members, noted both Duke Energy and New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg have created requests for proposals similar to what Logansport has created.
Former senator Tom Weatherwax said the development would encourage people to stay in Logansport and would also bring people to the city.
“Next to Hoosier Heartland, this is the second largest economic development I have seen,” Weatherwax said.
Concerned citizens asked what kind of waste would become pellets.
“The materials are not hazardous waste materials,” Franklin said. “The point of this project is subject to EPA regulations and this is nothing but ordinary household waste.”
Amie Sites is a reporter at the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5150 or amie.sites@pharostribune.com.
Local News
City residents pose questions about trash power
Source of refuse and facility ownership among topics discussed Wednesday.
- Local News
-
-
Endangered
A historic Victorian mansion in Delphi, once the home of a successful merchant and a professional wrestler, has been added to an Indiana preservation organization’s list of endangered landmarks.
-
City, engineers assessing Sixth Street buildings
The Logansport building commissioner is working with an engineering firm to establish the future of three connected buildings on North Sixth Street after part of one of them had to be demolished last month.
-
State called leader, laggard in new economic report card
A newly released report card on where Indiana ranks nationally in key economic measures shows the state is both “a leader and a laggard” in areas that signal potential for more prosperity.
-
LHS students turn in laptops at year's end
After a year of 1,250 laptops carried in student backpacks, in classrooms and to homes, Logansport High School is reporting a good turn-in rate and a great year of academic achievements.
-
Company invests $1.1 million in Miami Co.
A Logansport-based company is investing $1.1 million to expand its operations into a facility north of Peru. The company said it will bring more than 30 jobs to the county.
-
Career center gets $15K grant
Students at the Century Career Center will be able to print out 3D models of their drawings next fall due to a $15,000 state grant.
-
Boost in education funding won’t benefit all schools
In the budget bill passed by the General Assembly last month, there is more money allocated for K-12 education over the next two years, but that doesn’t mean every school will get more dollars.
-
Playing with food
Two foods classes at Lewis Cass Junior-Senior High School got crafty with their food last week following family and consumer science teacher Courtney Nethercutt’s lead.
-
Unclaimed property amounts to millions in Indiana
There are millions of dollars in Indiana, the rightful owners of which cannot be located. A program through the Indiana Attorney General’s office is trying to get that property into the right hands.
-
Fulton Community Center completed
Almost a decade in the making, the Fulton Community Center is up and running.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Officials: Truck Hit Bridge Before Collapse
Sheriff: No Sign Killing of 2 Kids Was Planned
Obama Defends Drone Strikes, With Limits
Raw: Jurors Deadlock on Jodi Arias Penalty
Boy Scouts Decision "First Step" Say Activists
Raw: Utah Teen Arrested in Death of His Brothers
Closer Look at Okla. School Where Children Died
Two Suspects in Murder Known to London Police
Boy Scouts Mom Supports Gay Inclusiveness
"Be Ready": NOAA Warns of Busy Hurricane Season
SeaWorld: Penguins Are Coolest Thing in Florida
Obama Renews Call to Close Gitmo
Obama Offers Drone Strike Defense
Raw: Heckler Interrupts Obama on Guantanamo
A Slice of Apple History Up for Grabs
