The River Valley Growth Council is seeking $3.3 million.
RUMFORD – The River Valley Growth Council’s application for funding a multi-million-dollar experimental biomass plant has made it to the finals.
Growth Council developer Scott Christiansen said his organization was notified Saturday by the Department of Energy that the project had made the cut to the finals, and invited the Council to submit additional information.
The Growth Council seeks at least $3.3 million for constructing a pyrolysis plant that would turn wood products into chemicals, then use the waste from that process for the production of hydrogen.
The letter from James P. Damm of the Golden Field Office of the DOE in Colorado, stated that 350 applications had been made for money to fund an alternative fuel project. Although the number of competitors the Growth Council’s project must go up against isn’t known, Christiansen said he believes only 10 percent of the initial applicants have made it to the finals.
He said the Council’s project will go up against some heavy hitters that are backed by industry. The Council’s project also has the backing of the University of Maine, Enerkem, which is a Province of Quebec-based alternative energy firm, an unnamed industrial leader, the Natural Renewable Research Lab in Colorado, and the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development and Gov. John Baldacci.
Exploration into a possible experimental pyrolysis plant started almost two years ago. If the project is funded, a demonstration plant would be built. And if that was successful, a full-fledged production facility would be constructed that could employ several hundred people.
“We’re very, very close,” said Christiansen.
But if this round of DOE funding doesn’t come through, he is sure that his office will look for money elsewhere.
Whether the Council’s pyrolysis application is funded should be known by early March, said Christiansen.
In the meantime, he said a “huge” amount of work must be completed to make the application as comprehensive as possible before the Dec. 19 deadline. He said the Council will likely ask for $4.4 million rather than the initial request of $3.3 million so that a demonstration plant could broaden the types of products produced.
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Diamond mill to change hands
River Valley Growth Council’s developer Scott Christiansen said the Council expects to accept ownership of the former Diamond mill in Peru from the Archibald family within the next couple of weeks.
The 160,000-square-foot building could become one of several Pine Tree Zone sites in the River Valley area. A Pine Tree Zone is a designated area under a state economic plan that encourages development and growth by providing tax incentives for businesses that move into one.
Christiansen said the Council has been working for nearly eight months to acquire the property.
In the meantime, he said the Council is applying for Environmental Protection Agency funds to clean up the site, and for Economic Development Administration money to rehabilitate the building. He said several potential businesses have indicated interest in using portions of the site.
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