Progress announces deal to buy power from biomass plant

In an effort to increase its renewable energy portfolio, Progress Energy Florida announced Tuesday another agreement to buy power from a biomass plant.

The new plant will burn yard trimmings and waste wood and have a 75 megawatt capacity, or enough electricity to power about 46,000 homes. It will be built by Biomass Gas & Electric. The Atlanta-based company already has an agreement with Progress Energy Florida for a separate, 75 megawatt plant announced in July.

The new addition will add 75 megawatts of renewable power to Progress Energy Florida’s system. It brings the amount of renewable power Progress has agreed to buy in the past two years to 280 megawatts, or enough to power 170,000 homes.

Still, that’s just a 10th of the utility’s customers and underscores the difficulty of finding reliable, cost-effective, renewable power on a large scale. Here’s a list of renewable agreements Progress Energy has signed in the past two years:

- In May 2006, Progress Energy agreed to buy 130 megawatts from a Biomass Investment Group plant powered by “E-grass.” Arundo donax is a fast-growing reedy grass. Considered an invasive species by environmental groups, its growth is tightly restricted in California, which has spent millions of dollars trying to eradicate it. Biomass Investment Group has so far not been able to find 20,000-acres to grow the grass and construct its plant. Originally slated to start producing power in 2009, the date has been pushed back to 2011.

- In July, Progress Energy agreed to buy power from a 75 megawatt biomass plant fueled by wood waste and yard trimmings. Atlanta-based Biomass Gas & Electric expects to have the plant on line in early 2011. The North Florida location has not yet been announced.

- On Tuesday, Progress Energy agreed to buy another 75-megawatts from BG&E. The plant is slated to come on line in June 2011, and will be built in Central Florida.

- Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer