Winstanley Enterprises of Concord, Mass., has formally notified local officials of its plan to apply for a Certificate of Public Good to build a 25 to 35 megawatt renewable woodchip-burning electric generating plant at its existing industrial site located in North Springfield. The filing plan was announced on Monday in a letter from Chan Morgan, the project’s manager, to local officials. The Winstanley development team is targeting early October to file its petition with the Public Service Board. Winstanley Enterprises is a highly regarded New England developer with a history of investing in Vermont dating to 1991. Winstanley developed the Exit 1 Industrial Park in Brattleboro bringing the primary tenant, Country Kitchen Breads, to the state; successfully redeveloped and fully leased the 165,000 sq. ft. Northeast Cooperative/United Foods building also in Brattleboro; and renovated North Springfield’s ‘new’ Fellows Gear Shaper facility, which at 375,000 sq. ft. is one of the largest single story buildings in Vermont. The Fellows facility at 36 Precision Drive in the North Springfield Industrial Park was vacant when purchased in 2006 and today is nearly fully leased to three important local employers, Jeld-Wen, Kiosko and ADI, who collectively employ approximately 250 people. ‘After four years of planning, meeting with local and state officials and commissioning numerous studies focused on fuel availability, environmental impacts, traffic patterns and economic benefits, Adam Winstanley is pleased to now be taking this important first step toward making this project a reality,’ Morgan said. The project will infuse between $130 and $180 million of investment capital into the Springfield-Chester region, generating an average of 256 jobs for the proposed two years of construction and roughly 100 ongoing jobs valued at $2 million annually, not including those associated with additional business park activity. The plant is projected to add roughly $9 million annually to the state’s economy, promote sustainable forestry in the Southern Vermont region and enhance Springfield’s ability to attract employers to the industrial park. One compelling aspect of the Winstanley project is the plan to build a hot water loop that will provide low-cost heat to the park. The concept of providing the thermal loop has already created interest among potential new business park tenants and will also provide impetus for current tenants to maintain and possibly expand their operations in North Springfield. Bob Flint, executive director of the Springfield Regional Development Corporation said that this is a far-reaching economic development project for the region and the state. ‘This project will impact our economy in so many ways from our heritage foresters fueling an important and practical use of alternative energy to providing operational infrastructure that will lead to job growth in an existing industrial park,’ Flint said. ‘It’s a home run.’ If approved, the plant would provide a minimum of 25 megawatts of base load power capacity by early 2014. The output would be delivered to Vermont utilities through an existing on-site substation that once connected the North Springfield Fellows Gear Shaper building to the electric grid. In addition, the site has been in industrial use since 1968, was already graded level many years ago in anticipation of future growth, and provides an unparalleled opportunity to optimize the efficiency of the wood burning plant by being located in an industrial park that can utilize its thermal waste. As well, the site is located in the region of Vermont with the highest concentration of Net Available Low Grade Wood according to the 2010 BERC Vermont Wood Study Report and would allow the plant to provide a local market for wood that is currently either not being harvested for the benefit of the forest or is being transported out of the region. The delivery of Winstanley’s notice letter to the Town Select Boards of Springfield and Chester and to the South Windsor County Regional Planning Commission formally commences the work to prepare the project’s Section 248 petition with the Public Service Board. During this period, the Winstanley development team will continue to reach out to the towns and to make themselves available for answering questions and addressing all suggestions and concerns with subject area experts. The Section 248 petition filing process is designed to ensure that any electrical generation or pipeline project is fully vetted from the perspective of the public good by an independent quasi-judicial body. Winstanley Enterprises and its development team look forward to working through this process and ultimately developing a successful project that will benefit not only the region but all of Vermont. Winstanley Enterprises will develop the project through its local subsidiary, WE 36 Precision Drive. David Winstanley formed Winstanley Associates in 1973. Two decades later, founded on his success in real estate development and investment, David joined forces with his sons, Adam and Carter, to form what is now Winstanley Enterprises LLC. The company also successfully redeveloped the former Northeast Cooperative/United Natural Foods property in Brattleboro, and more than 35 additional properties throughout New England. For more information about the company, please visit its web site at http://winent.com(link is external). read more
FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint分享Bloomberg BNA:Coal companies from outside Appalachia, and the Republicans in Congress representing them, are taking a dim view of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s efforts to win a $4.5 billion subsidy for eastern coal.To those non-Appalachian coal companies, Justice’s request for a $15 per ton subsidy to power plants that burn regional coal smacks of unfair treatment. Justice announced earlier this month that he would switch from the Democratic to the Republican party.Amy Estes, a spokeswoman for South Dakota-based Black Hills Energy, told Bloomberg BNA the company “has never asked for anything more than a level playing field for our fossil fuel resources.”Travis Deti, executive director of the Wyoming Mining Association, said he understood Justice’s desire to protect his state’s coal industry.“However, the federal government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers in the market through subsidies that pit one coal producing region against another,” Deti said.Justice told Bloomberg News Aug. 9 that Trump is “really interested” in the subsidy idea, and that the president is “trying to vet the whole process.” White House spokeswoman Kelly Love told Bloomberg News that the administration had nothing to announce.The pushback from out-of-state producers competing with West Virginia should come as no surprise, said Tom Sanzillo, finance director at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The institute conducts research and analyses on financial and economic issues related to energy and the environment.“Do you think the Illinois and Powder River Basin producers would become Mother Teresa? I don’t think so,” Sanzillo told Bloomberg BNA.Some 60 percent of the nation’s coal now comes from Western states, according to the Energy Information Administration.More: ($) West Virginia Governor’s Coal-Subsidy Pitch Troubles Westerners Competitors Don’t Like West Virginia Governor’s Proposal for Federal Subsidy to Coal Producers in His State read more
FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint分享Energy Storage News:The first ever wind and solar hybrid project in India, completed in April 2018, is to be retrofitted with energy storage after strong winds this year led to a curtailment of solar production.Speaking to our sister site PV Tech at the REI Expo in Greater Noida, Rahul Munjal, chairman of Delhi-headquartered clean energy firm Hero Future Energies, said the plan is to use lithium-ion battery storage technology and the firm is currently in the process of procuring a technology supplier.Munjal added: “The hybrid plant saw extremely good winds this year and when it saw good winds we had to back down solar because there was a constraint on the capacity we could put on the grid. Now to augment that, we feel the right thing to do is rather than waste the energy, store it.”The second reason for adding a battery is that Hero wants to learn more about the technology by using it on its own plants and the battery will act as a pilot. If the trial goes well, then Hero will consider retrofitting some of its other renewable energy projects with storage in the future.The hybrid plant is located in the state of Karnataka and PV Tech attended the inauguration in April this year, publishing a lengthy insight on the project. The plant at Kavithal, Raichur District, which included an existing 50MW wind farm, now has a neighbouring 28.8MW solar PV site to form a hybrid system. The project’s evacuation capacity remained at 50MW since the primary aim was to address grid-integration concerns around variable power coming from renewable energy. The off-takers of the power are a number of unnamed private companies also based in Karnataka. More: Storage retrofit will combat curtailment and constraints for India’s first solar-wind hybrid project Solar-wind project in India to get storage too read more
Indonesian presidential candidate looks to move past coal, boost renewables FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint分享The Jakarta Post:The camp of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has expressed the wish to cut the use of coal and to revamp the 35,000 megawatt (MW) electricity program if Prabowo and running mate Sandiaga Uno are elected in the April election.Campaigner Ramson Siagian said recently that Prabowo wanted coal-fired power plants (PLTU) to be replaced by renewable energy. “We will review all contracts in the 35 GW electricity program and the PLTUs will become renewable energy power plants,” he said recently.He also claimed there had been a lack of progress in the 35 GW electricity program. “The project has only reached 5.6 percent of its target set in 2015. The initial plan was to be finished in 2019, but then it was changed to 2025,’ he said.Ramson, a lawmaker from the Gerindra Party, said contracts for the construction of power plants that had entered the construction phase should be revised.Based on Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry data, as of December 2018, only 8 percent of the power plants in the 35,000 electricity program were in operation by the end of 2018, while the remaining projects were still being constructed or in earlier phases.More: Prabowo camp calls for coal-use cut, 35,000 MW program revamp read more
DBS Bank becomes second Singapore lender to stop new coal plant financing FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint分享The Business Times:DBS Bank has decided to cease financing new coal-fired power plants in any market, after honouring existing commitments, the second Singapore bank to do so. South-east Asia’s largest bank is also stepping up financing of renewable energy projects.DBS’ latest move is an about-turn from an earlier policy of financing new coal power plants with strict emissions controls, citing the need for a transition period in some parts of Asia, and comes after OCBC Bank said the financing of Vietnam coal power plants will be its last.In a statement on Thursday, DBS said in February 2018, it issued a statement on its approach towards financing coal-fired power plants (CFPP) and thermal coal mining.“We have since been monitoring market developments and have also had regular dialogue with stakeholders about the role DBS should play in supporting sustainable development,” it said. “Specifically, we noted the World Energy Outlook 2018, released in November 2018 by the International Energy Agency (IEA), which outlines a Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS) for energy. We also studied the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) SR15 when it came out in October 2018.”Both reports are unequivocal in the need to urgently tackle climate change, said DBS. However, the reports also confirmed that in some parts of Asia, there will need to be a transition period. This is reflected in the forecast coal-fired power capacities in the IEA report and the comment in SR15 that in most 1.5-degree consistent pathways, investments in unabated coal generation is projected to halt only by 2030.“Given these considerations, we have decided to cease financing new CFPP in any market regardless of the efficiency of technologies used, after honouring our existing commitments,” said DBS. “The last of these existing commitments is likely to be completed by 2021. This aligns our financing policy for CFPP with a trajectory that is more ambitious than the SDS and the pathways described in IPCC SR15.More: DBS to cease financing of new coal power plants read more
Murray Energy, U.S.’ largest private coal company, looks at possibility of liquidation FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint分享S&P Global Market Intelligence ($):Murray Energy Corp. is running low on cash and asked a federal bankruptcy court to suspend the company’s obligations to pay for retiree medical obligations, costing the company $256,000 per day.The largest private coal mining company in the U.S. said in a March 30 filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio that it has just $6 million in cash on hand. Deteriorating coal markets, a global economic crisis and the cost of its bankruptcy reorganization have apparently “wreaked havoc” on the company’s finances.“The bottom line is that if [Murray Energy does] not cut off these obligations in the near term, they will likely exhaust liquidity during these cases — leaving no business to restructure and no go-forward employment opportunities for thousands,” the company wrote.Without canceling certain miner healthcare obligations, Murray Energy said it could be “faced with no choice but to begin a value-destructive enterprise-wide liquidation.” In an attached declaration, Murray Energy President, CFO and CEO Robert Moore pointed to several factors that are pressuring the company’s finances, including excess coal supply in the U.S., a transition to renewable energy resources, low natural gas prices, a warm winter, and an unexpected and rapid market impact from the coronavirus pandemic.“Unfortunately, [Murray Energy] and the coal industry generally expect these trends to continue for the foreseeable future,” Moore wrote. “The negative market trends have been compounded by power price sharing adjustments with certain customers and customer stockpiles that are already at full or near full levels. At this time, the debtors are employing alternate work schedules to preserve liquidity, with certain operations being idled for as many as five days per week.”Murray Energy’s liquidity cushion is deteriorating rapidly. The company had $300 million of liquidity at the end of December 2019 but burned through $180 million in only two months. The company’s current cash flow forecast, which it said has risks to the downside due to sales shortfalls and market uncertainty, anticipates overall liquidity will drop to $30 million by the end of June. Murray Energy warned that the amount is “insufficient to responsibly manage the business in this (or any) environment.”[Taylor Kuykendall]More ($): Strapped for cash, Murray Energy seeks court relief as coal market rapidly fades read more
A biker cruises under Beech Mountain’s lift on his way to the Emerald Outback trail system. Photo: Kristian JacksonAt 5,506 feet in elevation, Beech Mountain is already a popular winter ski destination. Now, the mile-high town is readying itself for an influx of mountain bikers. The town of Beech Mountain has just finished eight miles of cross country singletrack, and the resort recently won the bid to host the U.S. Mountain Bike Gravity National Championships in 2011 and 2012. The championships and new singletrack could turn this sleepy town of 375 into the East’s hottest new mountain bike destination.The singletrack—called Emerald Outback—is the brainchild of Daniel Scagnelli, the town’s fitness director who felt Beech was missing only one thing: sweet singletrack. Scagnelli, a trail runner, re-discovered an extensive trail system built by locals in the early 1990s and set a volunteer workforce in motion to rehab the trails. The town of Beech Mountain kicked in funds and signed easements with private landowners.“It’s tight, twisty, and rooty, but there’s nothing too technical and no beastly climbs,” says local biker Andrew Stackhouse.Emerald Outback is phase one in an expansive 25-mile network of singletrack called the Beech Mountain Adventure Park. Picture three distinct micro parks—the flowing singletrack of Emerald Outback, a park with dirt jump and wooden freestyle features, and a beginner-friendly mini-network of fire roads—all joined by singletrack connectors. The entire park will take three years to build, but the first connector trail, which drops 1,200 feet in elevation, should be completed this summer.“This system will give the town an identity beyond skiing and allow us to position ourselves as a true four-season resort,” Scagnelli says. “There aren’t many places you can downhill ski, cross country ski, mountain bike, and trail run.”Hosting the National Gravity Mountain Bike Championships for the next two years certainly gives credence to Scagnelli’s predictions. Part of the bid to host the national championships was the promise to build new downhill, slalom, and short track courses and retrofit the lift system to accommodate bikes. The new downhill park on the resort will connect with the expanding cross country park, and the 2011 National Championships will serve as the grand opening of the new downhill park. The resort plans to run lifts on weekends starting in the summer of 2012.More about Beech Mountain Resort, http://basecamp.blueridgeoutdoors.com/?p=2578 read more
Your outdoor news bulletin for May 2, the day the Loch Ness Monster was sighted in 1933, creating a media – and marketing – frenzy:2013 Appalachian Trail Hall of Famers AnnouncedThe third class of the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame will be inducted on June 7 at the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Banquet in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, and it’s a doozie with five honorees. Ruth Blackburn, David Field, David Sherman, David Startzell, and Eddie Stone will all be honored for their service to the A.T. and dedication in perserving it. The class is highlighted by Blackburn (1907-2004) who served the Appalachian Trail and the Appalachian Trail Conference for 50 years. In 1983, she was cited by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as “the single most influential volunteer in shaping the successful National Park Service protection program.” The inductees will be honored at the Appalachian Trail Museum in Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pa.West Virginia Fly Fishing Tournament Draws Big NameThe Harman’s North Fork Invitational Fly Fishing Event draws anglers from across the country to the two-day fly fishing tournament, and now it is drawing one of the biggest names in outdoor media. Curtis Fleming, the host of the Outdoor Channel’s popular “Fly Rod Chronicals” show will be participating in this year’s tournament, happening this weekend in West Virginia, and he’ll be bringing his film crew along for the ride. The tournament pits teams of two against each other over two days of fishing on the North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac River, known for holding large rainbows. Fleming is a West Virginia native and routinely participates in the tournament, but this is the first time he’ll be bringing along his posse of cameramen. This will certainly add a bit of spectacle to the event, which is open to the public, and bring some attention to the great trout fishing the Mountain State has to offer.Chattooga Court DecisionThis one is a touch old, but still very important to all the paddlers down South. In mid-April a federal judge ruled to uphold the current U.S. Forest Service policy of allowing paddling on Georgia’s Chattooga River for December through April, above 350 cfs, on 15 miles of the 21 miles of upper Chattooga. You may remember that the world-class upper Chattooga was closed to paddling from 1976 to January, 2012, much to the chagrin of paddlers everywhere. This court ruling was a win-some, lose-some decision for paddlers who wanted the river open year round, but faced the chance of the upper Chattooga being shut down again due to the concerns of Georgia Forest Watch and private property owners. American Whitewater has been the main driving force in getting the river back open to boaters, and they have the story here. read more
Dear Mountain Mama,When my little boy was born last January, going outside is just what we did. Whenever he got fussy, the cold air soothed him. As he became more aware, he loved to look at the green leaves unfurling and flowers blooming. But what about taking him on bigger adventures? Is it selfish if I take him along? Are babies even aware that they are in a different environment? Is it worth disrupting his schedule and all the extra effort to lug baby gear along? Yours, Craving the Snow Dear Craving the Snow,I struggled over the same questions, and continue to grapple with the answers. When I first became I mom, I readjusted my life around his schedule, and became dogmatic about his nap time and our evening routine. But I didn’t feel like me. A big part of who I am stems from my connection to the outdoors. I craved outdoor time, in part to bring the best qualities of myself to my parenting and in part to cultivate my son’s relationship to nature.At times taking a baby or toddler along can be tough. I have forgotten to bring a bottle to the ski slope and breastfed in an awkward corner of the lodge. I have remembered spare clothes for my son, but forgotten extra clothes for me, which resulted in me rubbing his puke into my clothes, over top the poop that I’d already smeared into my jeans.Raising a child to be comfortable in the outdoors requires parents bold enough to incorporate these outings into an already jammed-packed-schedule. I remind myself that mishaps and soiled clothes are little bumps in our road to adventuring together. Outdoor adventures require some flexibility, as Mother Nature sometimes throws a wrench in even the most carefully thought out plans. Bigger adventures might result in a missed nap or skipping baths for a few days.Craving the Snow, be bold enough to bring your little guy along! Remember that adding a young adventure partner into the equation often results in an outdoor experience being twice as challenging. Plan accordingly, give yourself extra time, and readjust your expectations.Bundle up and get outside!Mountain MamaRead more about Ky Delaney and her writing at kydelaney.com read more
4. FreewatersThe new Freewaters Tallboy ($48) is pretty much the perfect mix of style, sport and comfort. The water friendly leather strap really holds the feet in for vigorous activity, the high-rise midsole provides loads of cushion and arch support, and the “flex-groove” outsole is extremely grippy.They are animal-product free and a portion of the sale of each pair goes to support clean drinking-water projects worldwide. Visit freewaters.com for more info and to check out their other awesome styles, including a partnership with Thermarest. It’s always flip-flop season somewhere. From the Nantahala Outdoor Center to the New River Gorge to Virginia Beach…everybody has to have at least one pair of flip flops in their kit at all times. You’ve got to have flip flops for going out, flip flops for the yard, for the beach, you know the routine. So here’s a roundup of some of the best sandals on the market right now.1. OofosThis is my new casual, apres workout, gym-style flip flop — billed by the company as a “recovery shoe” that is also available in other styles, specifically designed to allow the body to recover after athletic activity. It is so comfortable and squishy I literally wish I could wear them all the time, but my wife won’t let me.They are reserved for the parking lot after an 80 mile road ride, for after a long spring ski tour, maybe even for walking home from the gym and around the house. They feature proprietary closed-foam technology molded in one piece with an exclusive footbed design. OOFOS says the foam is 37-percent more absorbent than anything else on the market. They are quite durable and have good traction on wet surfaces. I highly recommend adding a pair of these to your kit, just don’t let us see you wearing them with socks in public. oofos.com2. OluKaiOn the opposite end of the spectrum are the super plush leather OluKai Punono ($150), which means gorgeous in Hawaiian — the sandal of choice by the Hawaiian National Lifeguard Association. Need any more endorsement than that? These are my out-on-the-town summer shoes, and you will love showing them off. The leather footbed featues intricate Paniolo-inspired laser-etched artwork, a premium-leather upper and hand-stained outsole. Further refinement includes a hand-stitched toe post and strap stitching detail. An anatomical compression molded EVA midsole is wrapped in full-grain leather; and on the sole you’ll find injected rubber pods with native tapa inspired texture. olukai.com3. TevaTeva flip flops have been known to last a very long time. And new for ladies from the Teva Original Collection is the stylish and trendy Leather Diamond ($70; available in Black or Sea Fog).They feature premium leather uppers and leather footbed in an iconic style, adjustable ankle strap and “durabrasion” rubber outsoles for all conditions. teva.com read more