(click image to enlarge 74k .jpg) Fibrowatt already has three operating energy generation facilities that use turkey manure as fuel. Pictured is Fibrothetford, which was commissioned in 1998 at Thetford in Norfolk, England. At 38.5MW it is Europe's largest generator of electricity from biomass.

Minnesota town learns about the power of turkey manure
by Sue Silva

The City of Benson, Minn., will soon be home to a new renewable energy facility.

"Benson, and the land of 10,000 lakes will become the site for a proposed 50-MW poultry litter generator," said Benson City Manager Rob Wolfington. The plant is the result of an August 2000 agreement between Fibrowatt and Xcel Energy.

Fibrominn, builder of this new plant, is a subsidiary of Fibrowatt that operates the world's first three poultry litter-fired power stations, all in England. The company is also developing plants in Europe. The Benson plant will be the first in the United States.

In Fibrowatt generating plants, a furnace burns the litter at very high temperatures, heating water in a boiler to produce steam. The steam drives a turbine linked to an electrical generator. The resulting electricity will be exported to Benson's grid and the steam condensed back into the boiler.

Xcel Energy plans to purchase the Benson plant's power from Fibrominn, LLC, an affiliate of England-based Fibrowatt. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved the power purchase agreement in March 2001. "We're pleased to add another resource to our energy mix," said Al Krug, regulatory contract coordinator for Xcel Energy.

"This contract fulfills a 1994 Minnesota legislative requirement to purchase 125 megawatts of biomass-generated power in exchange for clearance to store spent nuclear outside Xcel's Prairie Island plant in Red Wing, Minn.," said Wolfington "With its plants in England, Fibrowatt has proven that poultry litter is a viable, renewable energy source. We're looking forward to helping pioneer its use as a new source of energy in the United States," he added.

"Benson's location in the heart of a large poultry-producing area made it a natural site for the plant."

Plentiful byproduct

Used litter is a byproduct of the poultry industry worldwide. In the United Kingdom, for example, the industry produces more than 1.5 million tons of litter annually. Wherever a large poultry industry exists, there is very likely an associated pollution problem. There is more poultry litter available than can be economically spread on fields.

Fibrowatt's power stations get poultry litter from surrounding broiler poultry companies and transport it in covered trucks to a specially designed storage facility at the power station, which is maintained at negative pressure to prevent the escape of odors.

Benson's location in the heart of a large poultry-producing area made it a natural site for the plant. Based on research by the University of Minnesota, Fibrominn projects that poultry litter availability will exceed 1.7 million tons per year when the plant is at full capacity. Therefore, there is ample poultry litter available for the plant and to supply farmers with manure for land application. The turkey litter feedstock will be supplemented by other biomass materials like alfalfa stems supplied by Minnesota Valley Alfalfa Producers, which will supply 50,000 tons of the agricultural waste annually.

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Many in west-central Minnesota support the proposed 50-MW plant. However, not everyone believes in the plan to turn poultry manure and alfalfa into electricity. With any new development, there are always doubts. Some folks in the community want to know what impact it will have on the area. Will it stink? What about environmental concerns? Will there be a depletion of fertilizer for farms and loss of jobs for manure applicators?

Upon selection of the site, Fibrominn and Benson have developed a strong public/private partnership for the development of the Facility. To address development responsibilities, Benson has established various task forces to work with Fibrominn, including a Steering Committee, an Engineering Committee, a Finance Committee, and a Public Relations Committee. These committees are comprised of city staff, council members, and members of the Benson Economic Development Authority. Some of these members visited the Fibrowatt facilities in January 2001 as part of a 20-member group.

During their visit, Benson officials spoke with local residents, merchants, and farmers to get their perspectives on Fibrowatt as a company and their impressions about odors, air quality and traffic associated with the the operation of these facilities.

In addition, Benson has also established a Citizens Advisory Panel to provide public input during the development process. This 12-member independent panel, consisting of local citizens from various backgrounds, acts as a liaison between Fibrominn and the community to address possible citizen concerns about the facility.

Environmental advantages

"This method of generating electricity has major environmental advantages over other methods. The process is clean and environmentally friendly. In fact, the only by product from this process is ash," said Wolfington. Ash is nitrogen-free, rich in potash and phosphate, and can be marketed as an environmentally friendly fertilizer. Ash is recovered from the furnace and the exhaust flue, using an up-to-date dust extraction technology. Due to the clean chemical makeup of the fuel, poultry plants produce very low levels of gaseous emissions.

Poultry litter has traditionally been stored in the open before being used as fertilizer, causing significant odor problems. It also runs off into lakes and rivers, polluting water supplies. When left on the land, the litter also releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.

Thanks to the carefully controlled environment in fuel storage halls and the use of tightly covered trucks to move the fuel, Fibrowatt's plants present no detectable odor beyond the site boundary. There is, however, a strong odor inside the enclosed fuel storage hall.

Economic benefits

There's another benefit, too. "The plant can help agricultural communities regain economic self-reliance," said Fibrowatt CEO Rupert Frasier, "with the support of the area farmers and the whole community."

Wilt Croonquist, executive director of the Kandiyohi Rural Development Finance Authority, added, "West-central Minnesota is home to a large turkey industry. This project can use the litter to produce energy, provide a manure management alternative for farmers, meet state emission requirements, relieve the environmental impact of stockpiled litter, and bring new skilled jobs to this area of the state."

While the Benson plant is the first of its kind in the United States, it won't be the last. Fibrowatt plans to build a 30-MW plant in Maryland and is looking at projects in other states.