InventivEnergy, LLC has selected NRG Energy Services LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NRG Energy Inc., to restart the Aspen Power biomass plant in Lufkin, Texas, and operate and maintain the facility once online to provide clean, renewable power for the Texas market.
Since the first time Aspen plant began operation in August 2011, InventivEnergy has been an asset management firm that oversees the plant. The Aspen plant was the first wood-based biomass power plant in the state, having the capacity to deliver approximately 50 MW to the grid and uses locally sourced clean wood-waste biomass as its fuel supply. The plant employs a stoker type boiler with particulate emissions abatement and has selective catalytic reduction for NOx control.
 |
Work to restart the facility began in mid-May and commercial operations are expected to be achieved by late July. NRG is in the process of hiring the site management team and operating staff, according to Don Poe, president, NRG Energy Services.
“The Aspen Power facility was shut down in the fall of 2012 due to market economics. Since then, our projections show an attractive opportunity for the plant to resume operations and provide competitively-priced clean energy to the Texas market,” said John R. Keller, CEO & Founder of InventivEnergy. “We are very excited to team-up with NRG in bringing Aspen back on-line and combining its top-tier O&M capabilities with InventivEnergy’s expertise in power plant asset management, value enhancement and optimization.”
Aspen Power LLC commissioned the plant in August 2011. It can consume about 525,000 tons of logging debris and municipal wood waste per year. It was the first major wood biomass power plant in the state.
In addition to the Aspen Power plant, NRG Energy Services also operates renewable and conventional energy facilities in several states.