Union, Clarke Counties discussing waste-to-energy plant
For two months, Union County officials have been in discussion with GGI Energy of Plano, Texas, about building a waste-to-energy plant five miles east of Creston near Prairie Solid Waste Agency in Union County. Officials have also held meetings with the Osceola City Council and Clarke County Landfill Commission.
In those discussions, GGI Energy claims they have researched, developed and improved patented technology to transform southwest Iowa’s everyday garbage into diesel fuel and electricity with minimal emissions.
“It’s something we have to pursue,” said Dennis Brown, county supervisor for Union County, “because it would be the holy grail of the waste management system if it works. We’d actually get something good out of our waste, rather than burying it in the ground.”
GGI Energy is proposing a 40-ton-per-day, waste-to-energy facility be built in Union County, which, they say, would generate about 5,200 gallons per day of commercial-grade diesel fuel
Technology
GGI Energy plants, currently located in Japan and South Korea, have patented technology that uses an onsite furnace to gasify waste at a high temperature and increase the energy content of the waste. The waste is then refined and, through a series of steps, liquefied to produce commercial-grade diesel fuel.
The plant also has the option to direct the heat generated during the gasification process to power a piston-driven engine that produces electricity instead of fuel.
“The concept sounds good,” said Ron Riley, supervisor chairman in Union County. “But, GGI wants this to be a fast process, to get this thing going. However, we’re going to be hesitant in making any decisions, because they don’t currently have any operating plants in the United States. We still have a lot of researching and gathering to do before any decisions are made.”
Besides the GGI Energy plants in Japan and South Korea, company officials in negotiations with a number of U.S. cities in the South and Midwest.
Other Iowa cities currently in discussion with GGI Energy are Osceola, Newton, Spencer and Fort Dodge. County officials said the Texas-based company targeted Iowa cities because of the exceptional tax incentives the state offers for start-up companies.
Company needs
GGI Energy is requesting Union County provide them one acre of land through donation near Prairie Solid Waste and sign a 20-year feedstock waste agreement, whereby Creston and surrounding locations will need to provide 40 tons of dry waste to the plant per day.
Currently, Prairie Solid Waste Agency receives about 1,700 tons of dry trash per month or about 56 tons per day from Woodburn, Murray and Union, Clarke, Taylor and Adams counties. Union County would need all of the above locations to also sign the 20-year agreement and cooperation from Waste Management before the plant is built.
Benefits
Currently, the county spends about $44,000 per month hauling trash from Prairie Solid Waste to Metro Waste Authority in Des Moines. The county would save about $528,000 in hauling costs per year if a GGI Energy plant is built.
The county would get a discounted price on diesel fuel produced at the GGI Energy plant.
It would directly create about 30 green jobs to operate the facility, plus a significant number of jobs for construction.
Meanwhile, the county would have no responsibility to fund the project other than donating one acre of land and possibly a road leading to the facility. GGI Energy said they will cover the costs of groundbreaking, construction, operating, management and improvements.
For those residents concerned with the emissions, county officials said the building would need to pass DNR and EPA air-quality standards prior to opening.
Amy Schultes, manager of Prairie Solid Waste Agency, has held and attended several meeting with GGI Energy representatives and said almost all landfills across the state are getting similar proposals from companies.
“This is happening all over the state,” Schultes said, “but as far I know, nobody has moved forward with one of these companies, and I’m not sure we want to be the first one. We don’t want to jump into anything too quick, because if it really is good technology, they will be back.”
