Biomass Feasibility Project Final Report - Xcel Energy

• Rail. For most biomass plants, whose sizes are limited by fuel collection radii which
themselves are limited by transportation costs, rail probably is not needed. On Class One
rail lines, service can be sporadic because they give priority to unit trains and other long
hauls. Short lines often don’t reach places where fuel is available. As a rule, hauls shorter
than a few hundred miles are cheaper and quicker by truck. Sites on rail are fewer and
more expensive than those on road. Nevertheless, a plant designed for municipal solid
waste might choose to be on rail in order to import feedstocks from far-flung
communities.
• Barge and ship routes. In a few places in Minnesota, like ports on Lake Superior and on
the larger rivers, cheap water shipping might be an option. Ports already have docks
and equipment to handle wood and agricultural material, and some ports, like the Port
of Duluth, have land available for plant sites. Port facilities usually have good
connections to the grid and to other modes of transportation like rail and highway.
• The electric grid. A connection to the grid provides a power plant with a national
market, but its cost has to be carefully scrutinized. In certain locations, higher
connection costs can more than offset lower operating costs. Therefore, from a financial
perspective, the output side of the equation is at least as important as the input side in
choosing a site.
• Local transmission networks. Small local municipal or co-operative utilities may be the
best customers for biomass plants. By providing jobs and markets for local growers, the
biomass plant becomes a key player in the local economy that supports the local utility.
The plant developer does, however, have to emphasize the plant’s role as a local
amenity because NIMBY confrontations with local residents can unravel an entire
project. (We do not map these local networks.)
• Water. Another potential tie-in to a local community is the possible use of its gray water
for process steam and cooling. The plant’s use of waste water might reduce the city’s
treatment costs and keep its effluents within permitted limits. But permitting cuts both
ways. Some environmental regulations ban the use of untreated gray water. So it’s
important to check with permitting authorities before considering that option. Natural
streams of course provide another source of non-potable water, but DNR regulates their
use.
Electric transmission maps are provided by the Land Management Center (LMIC, 2004) at the
Minnesota Department of Administration. They show electric substations and transmission lines
greater than 60 kV, which seem adequate for a power plant supplying energy to the grid.
This information is presented with information from the Minnesota Department of Transportation
on railways, roadways, and waterways, all ways to ship large volumes of biomass fuel on a
continuing basis. Besides transportation, waterways can supply water for process steam and
cooling. Ground water is also a potential source for process cooling and that information is
included as well.
These are but a sample of the data compiled as part of this project. Please refer to gopher, as
discussed in Chapter I, for additional maps.
Identifying Effective Biomass Strategies: Page 51
Quantifying Minnesota’s Resources and Evaluating Future Opportunities