THE CENTER FOR NATURAL CAPITAL

Biomass and Bioenergy in Virginia

State of the State - 2014

Brian Becker

7/24/2014

1

Table of Contents Figures and Tables ........................................................................................................................................ 2

Introduction to Biomass Feedstocks ............................................................................................................. 3

Forest Residuals ........................................................................................................................................ 3

Mill Residues ............................................................................................................................................. 4

Urban Wood Waste .................................................................................................................................. 5

Agricultural Crop Residues ........................................................................................................................ 6

Residual Biomass Inventory of the Commonwealth of Virginia ............................................................... 7

Energy Crops ............................................................................................................................................. 7

Wet Biomass ............................................................................................................................................. 9

Animal Manures ........................................................................................................................................ 9

Feedstocks for Liquid Fuels ....................................................................................................................... 9

Introduction to Bioenergy in Virginia’s Energy Mix .................................................................................... 10

Utility-Scale Biomass Energy ................................................................................................................... 11

Combined Heat and Power ..................................................................................................................... 12

Waste to Energy ...................................................................................................................................... 12

Thermal Biomass Energy ......................................................................................................................... 12

Anaerobic Digestion ................................................................................................................................ 14

Biofuels ................................................................................................................................................... 15

Biomass and Bioenergy Policy in Virginia ................................................................................................... 15

State Bioenergy Support ............................................................................................................................. 18

Bioenergy Research in Virginia ................................................................................................................... 19

Bioenergy Organizations ............................................................................................................................. 19

Policy Recommendations and Action Items to Promote Biomass and Bioenergy ..................................... 19

Appendix of Tables ...................................................................................................................................... 21

Appendix of Links ........................................................................................................................................ 28

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Figures and Tables Figure 1. Availability of forest residuals in thousand dry tonnes by county in Virginia. .............................. 4

Figure 2. Primary mill residues in thousand dry tonnes per county in Virginia. .......................................... 5

Figure 3. Secondary mill residues in dry tonnes per county in Virginia. ...................................................... 6

Figure 4. Urban wood waste in dry tonnes per county in Virginia. ............................................................. 7

Figure 5. Crop residues in dry tonnes per county in Virginia. ...................................................................... 8

Figure 6. Virginia Energy Mix, 2012. .......................................................................................................... 10

Figure 7. Renewable energy consumption in Virginia, 1990 – 2012.......................................................... 11

Figure 8. Biomass thermal opportunity clusters in the Commonwealth of Virginia. ................................ 13

Figure 9. Virginia Household Heating Fuel, 2008 - 2012. ........................................................................... 14

Table 1. Statewide estimated availability of residual biomass resources, annual bone dry tonnes. ........ 21

Table 2. Wood pellet plants in Virginia. ..................................................................................................... 22

Table 3. Virginia's Biomass Generated Electricity (Thouand MWh) 2006 – 2013. .................................... 22

Table 4. Virginia biomass electricity generation capacity potential from annual (circa 2011) residual

availability. .................................................................................................................................................. 23

Table 5. Virginia’s utility-scale biomass energy generation. ....................................................................... 23

Table 6. Virginia’s industrial biomass combined heat and power generation. .......................................... 24

Table 7. Virginia’s municipal solid waste – waste-to-energy (MSW/WTE) generation. ............................. 24

Table 8. Top 10 Virginia counties reporting household heating fuel as wood. ......................................... 24

Table 9. Virginia biogas installed capacity. ................................................................................................. 25

Table 10. Virginia landfill gas projects, 2014. ............................................................................................ 26

Table 11. Virginia waste water recovery facilities with operating anaerobic digestion, 2013. ................. 27

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This report, developed with funding from the Virginia Department of Mines Minerals and Energy, is an

overview of the state of biomass and bioenergy in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The paper begins

with an examination of the types of biomass material that are available for bioenergy feedstock then

discusses the variety of bioenergy technologies and applications currently in operation around the

Commonwealth. Next the reader will find a review of the Code of Virginia for statutes that support

bioenergy followed by an overview of biomass and bioenergy research being conducted at the state

universities, a description of several state programs supporting bioenergy and an introduction to

Virginia’s bioenergy-related organizations. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations to

advance the use of biomass for bioenergy to promote job growth, improve the economy and realize the

benefits to the environment that bioenergy can bring to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Introduction to Biomass Feedstocks Biomass is any organic material that can be used as a bioenergy feedstock. The Code of Virginia1

defines biomass as agricultural and forest-related materials, animal wastes, mill residues, urban woody

wastes, purpose grown energy crops, landfill and wastewater gas, biosolids and municipal solid waste.

The moisture content of the material typically determines the way it can best be used. The higher the

moisture content the lower the heating value when used in combustion processes, as a portion of the

energy in the fuel is expended driving off the water. High moisture content feedstocks are more suitable

for anaerobic digestion to generate biogas.

Forest Residuals Low moisture content biomass is often referred to as solid fuels. The latest data from the National

Renewable Energy Lab2 estimates over seven million dry tonnes (1 tonne = metric ton = 1000 kg or ~

2200 lbs) of forest residues, primary and secondary mill residues, urban wood waste and crop residues

are available annually statewide. Forest residues, most plentiful in Southside Virginia and in the Coastal

Plain (Figure 1), are the tops and braches of trees harvested for timber, along with dead, diseased,

poorly formed and other non-merchantable trees that would otherwise be left in the woods. Harvesting

guidelines for the Southeast3, developed by The Forest Guild, a national association of professional

foresters dedicated to ecological, economical and socially responsible forest management, suggest that

up to 2/3 of available residues can be harvested without negatively impacting forest ecological structure

and function.

1 Biomass definition in the Code of Virginia: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?000+cod+10.1-1308.1. Last

accessed June 11, 2014. 2 National Renewable Energy Laboratory Biomass Data: http://www.nrel.gov/gis/data_biomass.html. Last

accessed June 17th

, 2014 3 Forest Biomass Retention and Harvesting Guidelines for the Southeast by the Forest Guild Southeast Biomass

Working Group, 2012: http://www.forestguild.org/publications/research/2012/FG_Biomass_Guidelines_SE.pdf. Last accessed June 18

th, 2014.

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While the US economy slowly improves, net growth of Virginia’s forests continues to exceed removals4.

The rate of timber harvest, and consequently the availability of residuals are driven by demand for solid

wood products which is closely linked to the construction sector. The most valuable products produced

during a harvest are saw logs followed by pulp wood. Markets for woody biomass residuals can

generate additional revenue from the harvests, increasing returns for landowners and helping to offset

the costs of harvest operations. By reducing net costs of harvest operations, management of smaller

tracts of land, invasive species control and restoration of degraded forest lands can be achieved more

economically.

Figure 1. Availability of forest residuals in thousand dry tonnes by county in Virginia. Source: NREL Biomass Data, last updated 2008.

Mill Residues Primary mills take harvested logs, called roundwood, and process them into primary wood products

such as pulp, lumber, plywood, posts, etc. Primary mill residues include the coarse and fine wood

material (slabs, edgings, trimmings and sawdust) and bark remaining after initial processing. The

4 Rose, Anita K. 2011. Virginia, 2009 Forest Inventory and Analysis Factsheet. E-Science Update SRS-035.

Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 4p.: http://www.dof.virginia.gov/resources/fia/2009_FIA_VA_Forest-Inventory-Fact-Sheet.pdf. Last accessed July 22, 2014.

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Primary Forest Products Network5 lists over 175 primary mills distributed throughout Virginia. The

greatest volume of residues production is concentrated in Alleghany, Amelia, Greensville, Hanover, and

Isle of Wight Counties (Figure 2). Primary mills will either use their residues as fuel in their own boilers

or have secondary markets for fuel or raw material at other locations.

Recently harvested wood that is green has a relatively high moisture content, and consequently lower

energy content. Secondary mill residues, when kiln-dried, have very low moisture content and

accordingly are very desirable as a boiler fuel. Secondary mill residues include scraps and sawdust from

furniture factories, millwork, wood container, pallet mills and lumberyards. In addition to use as boiler

fuel, saw dust is in demand by the wood pellet and animal bedding industries. Secondary mill residues

are available in limited quantities throughout Virginia (Figure 3) and can be purchased from individual

mills.

Figure 2. Primary mill residues in thousand dry tonnes per county in Virginia. Source: NREL Biomass Data, last updated 2008.

Urban Wood Waste Urbanization and parcelization, the subdivision of industrial forestland into smaller, privately held tracts,

fragments forestland, thereby reducing the acreage available for timber production. Declining tract size

5 Primary Forest Products Network forest products locator. http://www.forestproductslocator.org/. Last accessed

July 21, 2014.

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increases the relative cost of harvest operations. Generally lots of 20 acres or less cannot be

commercially harvested profitably; however, significant residuals are still generated from urban and

suburban areas. Yard and other wood residues derived from municipal solid wastes (MSW), highway

Right-of-Way and utility clearings, debris from private tree companies, and construction and demolition

(C&D) sites generate over a million dry tonnes of urban wood waste annually (Figure 4). The primary

challenge with utilizing urban wood waste is aggregating the material so that it can be processed and

delivered to end-users.

Figure 3. Secondary mill residues in dry tonnes per county in Virginia. Source: NREL Biomass Data, last updated 2012.

Agricultural Crop Residues Crop residues comprise another sizable source of potential biomass fuels. Approximately 750 thousand

dry tonnes of post-harvest residuals are generated annually from the production of barley, corn, oats,

peanuts, sorghum, soybeans and wheat (Figure 5). These residues include corn, peanut, sorghum and

soybean stover (leaves and stalks) and barley, oats and wheat straw. Crop residues are typically used for

grazing, animal bedding and silage and, like forestry residuals, retention of crop residues is important for

soil health. Therefore the NREL estimate assumes a 35% collection rate. In Virginia, the majority of

these residuals would be available in the row crop agriculture regions of the Coastal Plain, Southern

Piedmont, and the Shenandoah Valley.

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Residual Biomass Inventory of the Commonwealth of Virginia Researchers at Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension released an updated and expanded

Residual Biomass Inventory of the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2011. In addition the materials just

discussed, their study also included animal manures, food residuals, biosolids and vegetative yard

wastes with an estimated annual availability of over ten million bone dry tons of biomass residuals

(Appendix, Table 1). The Residual Biomass Inventory makes an important distinction between

availability and recoverability. Not all the estimated biomass is economically or socially recoverable and

these results should be seen as illustrative. Furthermore, materials that are readily recoverable may

likely have an existing market. For example, there are at least 10 wood pellet mills operating in Virginia,

producing over 1 million tons of wood pellets a year, mostly for the export market (Appendix, Table 2).

Any project feasibility analysis should include both feedstock availability and an evaluation of competing

market demand.

Figure 4. Urban wood waste in dry tonnes per county in Virginia. Source: NREL Biomass Data, last updated 2012.

Energy Crops In addition to the utilization of residuals, production of dedicated energy crops can increase the

sustainable biomass energy supply and bring a revenue stream for landowners. The 2011 National

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Landcover Database6 classified over four million acres of Virginia as hay and pasture-land, a million acres

as croplands, six hundred thousand acres as grasslands and another seventy-thousand acres as barren

land. Dedicated energy crops can also be grown on brownfields and minelands as part of remediation

and restoration efforts. Potential energy tree crops include hybrid willows and poplars that can be

produces on rotations as short as four to six years. Other energy crops include the annual native warm

season grasses, primarily switchgrass, and the exotic miscanthus.

Figure 5. Crop residues in dry tonnes per county in Virginia. Source: NREL Biomass Data, last updated 2008.

In Southside Virginia, a nascent energy crop industry is developing in and around Nottoway County led

by the bioenergy pioneers at the Piedmont Geriatric Hospital (PGH). PGH, which has been heating with

sawdust sourced from local mills for several decades, is switching to pelletized native warm season

grasses bringing considerable cost savings to the Commonwealth7. Grasses grown and harvested within

50 miles of Blackstone, Virginia are brought to a processing center located just outside of Fort Pickett

where they are aggregated, ground and pelletized for use as boiler fuel and animal bedding. New

markets for energy crops, whether grasses or trees, could expand acres of perennial land cover. In areas

6 Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium 2011 National Land Cover Database 2011.

http://www.mrlc.gov/nlcd2011.php. Last accessed June 24, 2014. 7 A Cooperative Native Warm Season Grass Biofuel to Steam at Piedmont Geriatric Hospital.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVMt9B6nz00. Last accessed July 22, 2014.

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of the Commonwealth within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, where local governments must develop

strategies to meet TMDL8 targets, bioenergy production could synergize with their compliance efforts

(establishment of riparian buffers and conversion of row crops to permanent land cover being the most

effective practices for improving water quality).

Wet Biomass Since wetter material has a lower the heating value when combusting high moisture content biomass

feedstocks are more appropriately suited for anaerobic digestion. Animal manures, the wet portion of

municipal solid waste, and waste water treatment plant effluent can be anaerobically digested to

produce a biogas that can be burned directly to generate heat or run through an internal combustion

engine to generate electricity. Landfill gas projects are essentially large anaerobic digesters of municipal

solid waste. In addition to generating energy from these underutilized waste streams, the physical

containment and enclosures required to capture the biogas serve as an effective mechanism for odor

control and can facilitate enhanced nutrient management and recovery.

Animal Manures The United States Department of Agriculture’s 2012 Census of Agriculture for Virginia9 lists 574 farms

with over 50 head of dairy cows, four of them with over 1000 animals. The Census also lists 47 farms

with more than 200 hogs or pigs, five of them with between 1000 and 2000 animals, 18 with between

two and five thousand animals and six with over five thousand. The larger operations are more likely to

be economical candidates, considering the capital costs associated with an anaerobic digestion project.

Smaller operations located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed may benefit from Federal financing

programs tied to projects that contain manures and reduce nutrient discharges into local waterways.

Poultry litter on the other hand, is both dryer and more valuable as a soil amendment. Attempts to

utilize it for an energy feedstock have been challenged by economics, favoring larger-scale projects

requiring aggregation of litter from multiple operations, being met with resistance by community

members concerned about emission and growers concerned about pickup and delivery vehicles being a

vector for disease transmission between farms.

Feedstocks for Liquid Fuels Biofuels, a term which typically denotes liquid fuels, can be produced from many of the same biomass

feedstocks. First generation biofuels are produced with easily obtainable sugars and vegetable oils such

as corn, sugar beets, sweet sorghum and soybean. The use of food crops for biofuels production is a

source of contention highlighted by the “food vs fuel” debate. Advanced or second generation biofuels

are made from woody biomass, non-edible agriculture residues, or other waste biomass, avoiding the

“food vs fuel” debate. While production of ethanol from cellulosic material is still in the demonstration

8 US Environmental Projection Agency, Total Maximum Daily Load Program.

http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/tmdl/. Last accessed July 22, 2014. 9 USDA Census of Agriculture, 2014. 2012 Census Volume 1, Chapter 1: State Level Data (Virginia):

http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_1_State_Level/Virginia/. Last accessed June 27

th, 2014.

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phase in Virginia, there are two commercial biodiesel producers in the Richmond area that collect and

process used restaurant grease (yellow grease) for making biodiesel.

Introduction to Bioenergy in Virginia’s Energy Mix In 2012, the last year complete data was available, renewable energy supplied 5.7% of Virginia’s overall

energy mix (Figure 6). Biomass supplied 90% of the renewable component, contributing just over 5% to

the Commonwealth’s total energy supply. The biomass contribution to Virginia’s renewable energy mix

has remained relatively constant for over 20 years, supplying on average 89% of the renewable mix

(Figure 7). The 2012 bioenergy consumption was 29% in the form of liquid fuels for transportation and

71% solid biomass used for heat and/or power generation. By sector as defined by the U.S. Energy

Information Administration, 16% was consumed in the residential, 8% in the commercial, 18% in electric

power generation, and 58% in the industrial sector. While the EIA’s residential sector is principally

private households, the commercial sector includes institutional living quarters and public sector

facilities such as government buildings and waste water treatment plants. Energy consumption in the

industrial sector is primarily for process heating, cooling and powering machinery. The electric power

sector includes combined heat and power (CHP, the generation and use of both thermal energy and

power) where the thermal energy and/or electricity is sold to another party, in addition to stand alone

generation.

Figure 6. Virginia Energy Mix, 2012. Source: EIA SEDS Virginia 1960 - 2012 Primary Energy Consumption Estimates. http://www.eia.gov/state/seds/seds-data-complete.cfm?sid=VA. Last accessed June 30

th, 2014.

Coal 9.43%

NG 18.00%

Petroleum 33.73%

Nuclear 12.78% Out of state

generated electricity

20.35%

Solar/PV 0.04%

Geothermal 0.07%

Hydroelectric 0.42%

Biomass 5.17%

Wind 0.00%

Other 5.71%

Virginia Energy Mix, 2012

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Applications include combustion of solid fuel (wood, waste wood and other waste materials) for stand-

alone electricity generation or combined heat and power, anaerobic digestion of animal manures and

the organic component of industrial and municipal solid waste, collection of landfill gas, and the

production of liquid fuels. While electricity generation from woody biomass have seen large gains in

recent years and municipal wastes (waste-to-energy, landfill gas and waste water treatment plants)

have seen a steady increase over time (Appendix, Table 3), installed generation is only about 16% of

potential capacity (Appendix, Table 4)10. Volatility in the prices of fuel oil and propane has renewed

interest in the use of biomass as a heating fuel at the institutional and residential level as well. Fuel

costs savings from conversion of older fuel oil or propane systems to modern biomass heating systems

have reduced the payback periods to a point where growth in institutional solid fuel biomass thermal

energy projects can now be expected in Virginia.

Figure 7. Renewable energy consumption in Virginia, 1990 – 2012. Source: EIA SEDS Virginia 1960 - 2011 Primary Energy Consumption Estimates. http://www.eia.gov/state/seds/seds-data-complete.cfm?sid=VA. Last accessed June 30

th, 2014.

Utility-Scale Biomass Energy At the utility-scale (Appendix, Table 5), stand-alone power generation with woody biomass can meet

base load demand, providing constant, steady power to the grid. Dominion has been generating

electricity with woody biomass at their 83-megawatt Pittsylvania Power Station in Hurt, Virginia since

1994. Dominion received approval from the Virginia State Corporation Commission to convert three 63-

megawatt coal-fired power stations at Altavista, Hopewell and Southampton to 51-megawatt woody

biomass plants, one of which, Altavista, went online in 2013. Dominion also began co-firing woody

10

EIA assumes that other than biofuels, all renewable energy is consumed at the time of production; production data is presented as the aggregate of renewable energy consumption. While EIA breaks out biofuels from other forms of biomass energy, at this time biofuels is strictly ethanol, and they do not provide separate estimates for biodiesel or wood pellets. The raw materials for the approximately one million tons of wood pellets exported annually from Virginia originate in Virginia forests. If used domestically, the exported wood pellets could displace between 200 and 700 MW of power and thermal energy currently generated with fossil fuels.

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biomass with coal at their new 600-megawatt Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in 2012. The Hybrid

Energy Center is designed to burn up to 20% woody biomass, generating 117 megawatts of biomass

energy. Co-firing with woody biomass diversifies their fuel supply and reduces sulfur and nitrogen oxide

emissions. The Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative’s 49.9-megawatt Halifax County Biomass Plant

also began commercial operations in 2013, utilizing forest residues harvested within 75 miles of their

South Boston location.

The use of biomass for stand-alone power generation has become a source of contention, however.

Overall efficiencies of stand-alone power generation are around 30% and the waste heat is by definition

not utilized. Concerns have been raised about the “carbon debt” of biomass power generation and the

recent release of the EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan to regulate carbon dioxide under section 111(d)

of the Clean Air Act requires clarification on how biogenic (biomass) carbon emissions will be handled.

Combined Heat and Power Combined heat and power (CHP) addresses some of these issues by utilizing the heat generated during

combustion for other purposes such as process or space heat. CHP facilities can achieve total system

efficiencies of 60 to 80 percent when producing both electricity and thermal energy. In 2012 there were

five operational industrial-scale CHP facilities associated with pulp and paper mills (Appendix, Table 6)

generating process heat for the plant and a combined 330-megawatts. In addition to solid wood waste,

these mills utilize black liquor, the by-product of the kraft pulping process, which contains more than

half the energy content of the original wood. A promising new application in Combined Heat and Power

is the incorporation of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) which uses an organic, high molecular fluid with a

lower boiling point than water to drive a turbine. One advantage of an ORC is that it permits work, in

this case, the turning of a turbine for electricity production, to take place at a lower temperature than in

a classic steam driven turbine system, which allows for generation with much smaller systems. Another

advantage of an ORC is that a non-corrosive organic fluid can be used, extending the operational life of

the machinery and reducing operation and maintenance costs for the facility.

Waste to Energy Virginia also hosts several Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facilities. Combustion of municipal solid waste (MSW)

at plants in Alexandria, Fairfax, and Portsmouth generates over 200-megawatts of electricity (Appendix,

Table 7). The Wheelabrator plant in Portsmouth is also a co-generation facility, providing steam to the

Norfolk Naval Shipyard in addition to electricity.

Thermal Biomass Energy Direct thermal energy generation for hot water, hot air, and steam for space or process heat is still the

most efficient application when combusting biomass. Longwood University and Piedmont Geriatric

Hospital (PGH) have been producing heat and hot water with saw dust from local mills for decades.

Recently PGH embarked on switching over to locally-grown and processed warm season grasses,

diversifying their fuel supply and catalyzing a nascent bioeconomy in Southside Virginia. In 2013,

Ferrum College, located in Southwest Virginia, installed a biomass CHP system to produce hot water and

to meet about a quarter of the electricity demand of the campus. Over 90 other locations throughout

the Commonwealth have boilers fueled by wood, wood chips or sawdust. Significant growth potential

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exists for expansion of intuitional-scaled thermal energy. A recent study of public institutions with

active fuel oil or propane boilers in areas of Virginia without access to natural gas identified over 450

locations that include institutions of higher education, private schools, hospitals, correctional facilities

and K-12 public schools (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Biomass thermal opportunity clusters in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Center for Natural Capital, 2013. http://naturalcapital.us/2014/01/10/local-bioenergy-opportunities-phase-i-project-completed/. Last accessed July 8

th, 2014.

At the residential level three percent of Virginia’s households use fire wood or wood pellets as their

primary heating fuel (Figure 9). Over a quarter of these households are located in just ten counties

(Appendix, Table 8), with half of those counties having at least 10% of homes heated by wood. In one

county, Rockbridge, over 20% of households reported using wood as their primary heating fuel.

Additionally, numerous households use wood as a secondary or recreational heating source, though no

recent studies appear to have been conducted on this sector.

14

Figure 9. Virginia Household Heating Fuel, 2008 - 2012. Source: US Census Bureau American Fact Finder (Housing Heating Fuel) http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/searchresults.xhtml?refresh=t. Last accessed June 30

th,

2014.

Anaerobic Digestion Anaerobic digestion, the biological decomposition of organic materials in the absence of oxygen, finds

applications across sectors, primarily as a waste management technology. To date, Virginia has seen

few anaerobic digestion projects for the production, capture and utilization of methane for energy. At

the industrial level, the MillerCoors Shenandoah Brewery hosts an anaerobic digester, generating a little

over a megawatt of electricity from brewing by-products, and in the agricultural sector there is only one

dairy farm currently with an operational anaerobic digester (Appendix, Table 9). While low retail

electricity prices make small projects economically challenging, throughout the Commonwealth there

are close to 100 farms with 200 or more dairy cows and over 40 with 500 or more swine that potentially

could be suitable for anaerobic digesters11. Benefits include odor, fly, and pathogen control and can be

coupled with a nutrient management program for additional environmental benefits and financing

opportunities.

Methane is also produced by organic matter decomposing under the anaerobic conditions found within

landfills. Capturing and flaring the methane avoids the emission of a powerful greenhouse gas. The

methane can also be run through an internal combustion engine to generate electricity. The EPA’s

Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) database contains 20 active landfill projects in Virginia,

generating over 100 megawatts of electricity, with 3 more projects under construction (Appendix, Table

10) and another 42 candidate or potential locations identified. Another waste stream that can be

11

USDA Census of Agriculture 2012 Census, Virginia Livestock. http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/. Last accessed June 30

th, 2014.

Utility Gas 34%

LP Gas 4%

Electricy 51%

Fuel Oil 7%

Wood 3%

Other 1%

Virginia Household Heating Fuel, 2008 - 2012

Source: US Census Bureau, House Heating Fuel, Occupied Housing Units, 2008-2012 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates

15

anaerobically digested is sewage at waste water treatment plants. The enclosures for creating the

anaerobic condition and capturing the methane are effective at odor control and the collected gas can

be used to offset plant operations or injected into natural gas (NG) pipelines after cleanup. The Water

Resource Recovery Facility database of waste water treatment plants12 contains seventeen Virginia

entries where anaerobic digestion is incorporated into the water treatment regime (Appendix, Table

11).

Biofuels Liquid fuel production from biomass feedstocks lags well behind total capacity. In 2013, 4.3 million

gallons of biofuels (biodiesel and ethanol) were produced out of total production capacity of 17.5 million

gallons13. There are two biodiesel producers collecting and processing restaurant (yellow) grease

located in the Richmond area, an operation in Southside that produces biodiesel from locally grown

canola oil, and the Shenandoah Agricultural Products farmer’s cooperative in the Shenandoah Valley

that produces for their users14. On the ethanol side, the only commercial operation is the recent

reopening of the former Appomattox Bio Energy plant by Vireol Bio-Energy, located in Hopewell,

Virginia, Virginia which is expected to produce over 55 million gallons a year. There are also currently

two cellulosic demonstration projects operational in Virginia: Fiberright has a MSW cellulosic

demonstration plant in Lawrenceville, with 0.5 million gallon capacity15 and a new effort is under

development in Callaway, in Southside by BCLF (Biomass Cellulosic Liquid Fuels) Corporation to produce

0.37 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol a year from agriculture and wood residues16.

Biomass and Bioenergy Policy in Virginia A review of the Code of Virginia finds a number of statutes on the books directly or indirectly related to

biomass or bioenergy.

Code of Virginia §3.2-108 directs the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to

establish a program to:

1. Encourage the production of alternative crops in the Commonwealth that may be used as a

feedstock for energy generation and transportation, thereby supporting farmers and farm

communities in their efforts to:

a. sustain and enhance economically viable business opportunities in agriculture,

b. reduce nonpoint source pollution in the Chesapeake Bay and other waters of the

Commonwealth,

12

Water Resource Recovery Facility, Biogas Data, 2013. http://www.wrrfdata.org/biogas/biogasdata.php. Last accessed June 27

th, 2014.

13 Virginia Alternate Fuels Report, 2014. http://www.vacleancities.org/wp-content/uploads/Alt-Fuels-Report-Q4-

2013-Final.pdf. Last accessed June 26th

, 2014. 14

Virginia Biodiesel Plant Listings. http://www.biodiesel.org/production/plants. Last accessed June 26th

, 2014. 15

U.S. Ethanol Plants, 2014. http://www.ethanolproducer.com/plants/listplants/US/All/All/page:1/sort:state/direction:asc. Last accessed June 26

th, 2014.

16 Personal Communications, Charles Bowman, BCLF Corporation. June 30

th, 2014.

16

c. restore depleted soils,

d. provide wildlife habitat,

e. reduce greenhouse gases,

f. and reduce the country's dependence on foreign supplies of energy.

2. Assist the development of bioenergy feedstock crop technologies, including but not limited to, seed

stock supplies, production technology, harvest equipment, transportation infrastructure and

storage facilities.

3. Identify and assist in the development of commercially viable bioenergy market opportunities,

including recruitment, expansion and establishment of renewable bioenergy businesses in Virginia.

Code of Virginia § 10.1-1197.6 established a permit by rule (PBR) for small renewable energy projects,

effective January 2011. The PBR applied to biomass energy projects designed not to exceed 20

megawatts. The permit by rule deals primarily with citing and does not address air quality permitting.

Some project developers feel that the PBR should not apply to biomass energy projects associated with

public facilities, as the project would not, by definition, be developed without the local government

support and therefore see the PBR as an unnecessary permit requirement.

Code of Virginia § 10.1-1308.1 streamlined permitting process for qualified energy generators. This

statute directs the Air Pollution Control Board to expedite permitting of biomass energy projects of 5

megawatts or less as long as they are not subject to a major new source review program required by the

federal Clean Air Act.

Code of Virginia § 15.2-2288.01 restricts localities from requiring a special use permit for certain small-

scale conversion of biomass to alternative fuel facilities. This statue applies to heat, power or biofuels.

Code of Virginia § 45.1-393 & 394 effective until July 1, 2017, the Virginia’s Biofuels Production Fund and

Incentive Grant Programs provide an incentive for production of non-corn based biofuels.

Code of Virginia § 45.1-395-396 passed in 2014, created a grant program for placing into service

renewable energy property and the establishment of a Renewable Energy Property Grant Fund, to be

administered by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. Grants can cover up to 35% of costs of

the eligible renewable energy property not paid for by utility ratepayer funds. This grant program, to

begin in 2015, and the fund that would support it are subject to appropriations.

Code of Virginia § 56-265.1 defines public utilities and other companies that generate and distribute

electricity or heating and cooling services. Specifically related to bioenergy the statute defines a farm or

aggregation of farms that owns and operates facilities within the Commonwealth for the generation of

electric energy from waste-to-energy technology. As used in this subdivision, (i) "farm" means any

person that obtains at least 51 percent of its annual gross income from agricultural operations and

produces the agricultural waste used as feedstock for the waste-to-energy technology, (ii) "agricultural

waste" means biomass waste materials capable of decomposition that are produced from the raising of

plants and animals during agricultural operations, including animal manures, bedding, plant stalks, hulls,

and vegetable matter, and (iii) "waste-to-energy technology" means any technology, including but not

17

limited to a methane digester, that converts agricultural waste into gas, steam, or heat that is used to

generate electricity on-site.

Code of Virginia § 56-576 defines renewable energy as “energy derived from sunlight, wind, falling

water, biomass, sustainable or otherwise (the definition of which shall be liberally construed), energy

from waste, landfill gas, and municipal solid waste, tides, and geothermal power, and does not include

energy from coal, oil, natural gas or nuclear power. Renewable energy shall also include the proportion

of the thermal or electric energy from a facility that results from the co-firing of biomass.”

Code of Virginia § 56-585.2.F limits the quantity of woody biomass that can be used to generate

electricity that qualifies for the RPS. Utilities participating in such program shall collectively, either

through the installation of new generating facilities, through retrofit of existing facilities or through

purchases of electricity from new facilities located in Virginia, use or cause to be used no more than a

total of 1.5 million tons per year of green wood chips, bark, sawdust, a tree or any portion of a tree

which is used or can be used for lumber and pulp manufacturing by facilities located in Virginia, towards

meeting RPS goals, excluding such fuel used at electric generating facilities using wood as fuel prior to

January 1, 2007. A utility with an approved application shall be allocated a portion of the 1.5 million tons

per year in proportion to its share of the total electric energy sold in the base year, as defined in

subsection A, for all utilities participating in the RPS program. A utility may use in meeting RPS goals,

without limitation, the following sustainable biomass and biomass based waste to energy resources: mill

residue, except wood chips, sawdust and bark; pre-commercial soft wood thinning; slash; logging and

construction debris; brush; yard waste; shipping crates; dunnage; non-merchantable waste paper;

landscape or right-of-way tree trimmings; agricultural and vineyard materials; grain; legumes; sugar; and

gas produced from the anaerobic decomposition of animal waste.

Code of Virginia § 58.1-3660 certifies pollution control equipment and facilities, as defined, shall be

exempt from state and local taxation. Definition includes ” any property, including real or personal

property, equipment, facilities, or devices, used primarily for the purpose of abating or preventing

pollution of the atmosphere or waters of the Commonwealth and which the state certifying authority

having jurisdiction with respect to such property has certified to the Department of Taxation as having

been constructed, reconstructed, erected, or acquired in conformity with the state program or

requirements for abatement or control of water or atmospheric pollution or contamination. Such

property shall include, but is not limited to, any equipment used to grind, chip, or mulch trees, tree

stumps, underbrush, and other vegetative cover for reuse as mulch, compost, landfill gas, synthetic or

natural gas recovered from waste or other fuel, and equipment used in collecting, processing, and

distributing, or generating electricity from, landfill gas or synthetic or natural gas recovered from waste,

whether or not such property has been certified to the Department of Taxation by a state certifying

authority. Such property shall also include solar energy equipment, facilities, or devices owned or

operated by a business that collect, generate, transfer, or store thermal or electric energy whether or

not such property has been certified to the Department of Taxation by a state certifying authority. For

solar photovoltaic (electric energy) systems, this exemption applies only to projects equaling 20

megawatts or less, as measured in alternating current (AC) generation capacity. Such property shall not

include the land on which such equipment or facilities are located.”

18

Code of Virginia § 58.1-439.12:02 provides a tax credit of $0.01 per gallon of biodiesel or green diesel

fuel produced, up to $5000 per producer, for the first three years of production after 2008.

Code of Virginia § 58.1 – 3662 exempts generation or cogeneration equipment installed for the purpose

of converting from oil or natural gas to coal or to wood, wood bark, wood residues, or to any other

alternate energy source for manufacturing, from local property taxes.

Code of Virginia § 67-101 outlines the energy objectives of the Commonwealth in the Virginia Energy

Plan. Objective number is to increase Virginia's reliance on and production of sustainably produced

biofuels made from traditional agricultural crops and other feedstocks, such as winter cover crops,

warm season grasses, fast-growing trees, algae or other suitable feedstocks grown in the

Commonwealth that will create jobs and income, produce clean-burning fuels that will help to improve

air quality, and provide the new markets for Virginia's silvicultural and agricultural products needed to

preserve farm employment, conserve farmland and forestland, and increase implementation of

silvicultural and agricultural best management practices to protect water quality.

Code of Virginia § 67-102.6 & 10 stipulates that the Commonwealth Energy Policy shall be to promote

the generation of electricity through technologies that do not contribute to greenhouse gases and global

warming; and shall promote the sustainable production and use of biofuels produced from siliviculture

and agricultural crops grown in the Commonwealth, and support the delivery infrastructure needed for

statewide distribution to consumers.

Code of Virginia § 67-501 encourages the use of biodiesel fuel and other alternative fuels, to the extent

practicable, in buses and other vehicles used to provide public transportation in the Commonwealth.

Code of Virginia § 67-900-903 created a Renewable Electricity Production Grant Program to pay eligible

corporations $0.0085 for each kilowatt hour of electricity generated from qualified energy resources.

This grant program is still on the books but has apparently not been appropriated.

State Bioenergy Support Several Virginia agencies support bioenergy through their administration of programs and development

funds.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Agriculture and Forestry

Development Services Program manages the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries

Development Fund (AFID). AFID provides local governments funding to support new or

expanded processing and valued-added facilities for Virginia grown agriculture and forest

products. The AFID planning grant provides matching funds to strategically plan for

development and investment in their agriculture and forestry sector.

The Virginia Department of Forestry has established a Community Wood Energy Program

(CWEP) to promote the use of woody biomass for small-scale heat and or power generation.

The CWEP will identify candidate wood energy candidate locations, provide education and

19

outreach to communities on their wood energy opportunities, and provide assistance to

interested potential wood energy users for project development.

The Virginia Department of Mines Minerals has partnered with the Center for Innovative

Technology (CIT) to create the Commonwealth Energy Fund (CEF). Capitalized with funding

from the US Department of Energy’s State Energy Program, the CEF makes loans to early-stage

Virginia companies with high-growth potential to create jobs, reduce energy consumption,

greenhouse gas emissions, and increase energy production from renewable resources.

Bioenergy Research in Virginia There are several active biomass and bioenergy research programs the Commonwealth. Virginia Tech’s

Dean’s Task Force on Energy Security and Sustainability features the work of Virginia Tech researchers in

the area of Bioenergy Adoption and Use, Transportation, Biomass Sources, Creation and Enhancement,

Biomass Conversion and Ethanol Production and Bioenergy Products and Byproducts. The Institute of

Advanced Learning and Research in Danville hosts the Center for Sustainable & Renewable Resources

where researchers are using molecular breeding to improve growth, yield and stress tolerance of

biomass and biofuel feedstock crops. The Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium, which includes

researchers at Old Dominion University, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, Hampton University and

James Madison University, also working on biofuel production from a variety of biomass sources. Old

Dominion University has taken a leading role in algal biodiesel research.

Bioenergy Organizations Virginia Bioenergy Network (VBN) – (formerly the Virginia Biomass Energy Group), serves as an

umbrella group facilitating communications and networking between biomass energy interests

in the academic, public, private and non-profit communities through annual meetings,

occasional regional gatherings, and social media.

Virginia Clean Cities – promotes economic, academic and research opportunities in Virginia,

primarily by promoting and facilitating increased use of alternative fuels and vehicles. The

Virginia Clean Cities website hosts a station locator for biodiesel and E85 retail stations.

Virginia Waste Solutions Forum (WSF) – originally convened to explore and develop specific on-

the-ground round strategies to manage the difficult issue of excess animal manure in the

Shenandoah Valley. Building on the success of the first forum, the WSF has developed a

strategic plan and priorities for improving water quality while fostering agricultural economic

viability. The WSF is comprised of researchers, non-governmental organizations, state agency

staff and industry representatives.

Policy Recommendations and Action Items to Promote Biomass and

Bioenergy The following are a list of action items and policy recommendations that would promote or advance the

use of biomass and bioenergy for renewable energy.

20

Seek to enact net energy metering by municipalities and multifamily customer-generators bill

that includes solid fuel biomass combustion as an eligible renewable energy technology.

Seek to enact a Virginia Infrastructure Grant Fund that includes thermal and or power

generation from biomass as qualified clean energy investment eligible for grant funds.

The Code of Virginia 2.2-2279, Virginia Small Business Financing Act, should be amended to

include biomass combustion or anaerobic digestion projects as qualified energy project eligible

for participation in the third party power purchase agreement program established under

Chapter 382 of the Acts of the Assembly of 2013.

The Code of Virginia 56-576, which defines renewable energy and renewable thermal energy,

should be amended to remove the co-generation requirement for qualifying renewable thermal

energy.

Support for a public-private partnership to address the perception problem faced by the

biomass and bioenergy sector. Partners would include state agencies (DMME, VDACS, DOF),

academic and cooperative extension services, non-profits and the private sector. Primary

objectives would be to develop and implement an education and outreach program to highlight

the benefits of biomass and bioenergy for meeting state policy objectives and society at large

(TMDL compliance, brownfield mitigation, mine land restoration, reduction of imported energy

sources, job creation and growth of the economy) and address the legitimate concerns raised by

the public in regards to the variety of sources of biomass and their utilization.

21

Appendix of Tables Table 1. Statewide estimated availability of residual biomass resources, annual bone dry tonnes. Source: Ignosh et al. 2011. Preliminary Residual Biomass Inventory for the Commonwealth of Virginia. http://ww2.bse.vt.edu/green/Residual%20Biomass/Residual%20Biomass.htm. Last accessed June 20, 2014.

Estimated Statewide Availability of Residual Biomass Sources (Annual BDT)

Agricultural Crop Residue Average Barley Straw 39,900 Corn Stover 205,653

Oat Straw 2,221 Peanut Residue 7,507

Sorghum Residue 256 Soybean Residue 297,727

Wheat Straw 196,873

Total Agricultural Crop Residues 750,137 Animal Manure Residues

Beef Cattle Manure 31,661 Chicken Litter 299,271 Dairy Manure 263,733

Horse Manure 122,106 Swine Manure 122,106

Turkey Litter 162,267

Total Animal Manure Residues 1,045,946 Forest Products Industry Residues

Logging Residues 2,253,244 Primary Forest Manufactures 2,414,120

Secondary Forest Manufacturers 495,325

Total Forest Product Industry Residues 5,162,689 Food Residues

Brown Grease 58,196 Post-Consumer Food Waste 323,370

Retail Food Waste 356,181 Yellow Grease 33,242

Total Food Residues 770,989 Municipal Sources

Biosolids 169,777 Urban Wood Waste 764,739

Vegetative Yard Waste 1,565,683

Total Municipal Sources 2,500,198 Total All Sources 10,229,960

22

Table 2. Wood pellet plants in Virginia.. Source: http://biomassmagazine.com/plants/listplants/pellet/US/ and http://www.southernenvironment.org/uploads/words_docs/Woody_Biomass_Facilities_MAPTABLE_2014July7.pdf. Last accessed July 11, 2014.

Plant Location Wood Type TPY Established Status Export Turman Hardwood Pellets Galax Hardwood 28,000 2005 Operational No

Equustock Chester Hard and Softwood

80,000 2007 Operational Yes

O’Malley Wood Pellets Tappahannock Hardwood 40,000 2008 Operational No

American Wood Fibers Marion Hard and Softwood

75,000 2009 Operational Yes

Lignetics of Virginia Kenbridge Hardwood 70,000 2009 Operational No

Eden Pellets Chesapeake Hard and Softwood

45,000 2011 Operational Yes

Enviva Pellets Southampton, LLC.

Franklin Hard and Softwood

550,000 2013 Operational Yes

Equustock Troy Hard and Softwood

40,000 N/A Operational Yes

Potomac Supply Kinsle Softwood 50,000 N/A Operational Yes

Biomass Energy/Trae Fuels Bumpass Hard and Softwood

130,000 N/A Operational? Yes

Total operational production capacity (tons per year) = ~1,108,00017

Table 3. Virginia's Biomass Generated Electricity (Thouand MWh) 2006 – 2013. Source: EIA Annual Electricity Utility Data, form 923, Schedule 3a. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia923//. Last accessed June 30

th, 2014.

Year Municipal Waste Wood and Wood Waste Other Waste Total Biomass

2006 662 1,780 17 2,458 2007 753 1,792 20 2,566 2008 761 1,916 21 2,698 2009 695 1,708 14 2,418 2010 802 1,404 14 2,220 2011 782 1,406 8 2,196 2012 916 1,436 7 2,358 2013 947 1,893 5 2,845

17

A study by FutureMetrics (Strauss 2014 A cost effective, job creating, and ready to deploy strategy for baseload dispatchable low carbon power generation) using IMPLAN software estimated that for every 1 million tons of wood pellets produces over 1800 jobs were created and sustained in the harvest, material transport, conversion and delivery to power plants. Source: http://futuremetrics.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/A_Cost_Effective_and_Ready_to_Deploy_Strategy_for_Baseload_Dispatchable_Low_Carbon_Power_Generation.pdf. Last accessed August 4

th, 2014.

23

Table 4. Virginia biomass electricity generation capacity potential from annual (circa 2011) residual availability18

.

Resource Available Resource (BDT) MWh / year MW

Agriculture Crop Residues 250,046 343,675 49.0 Animal Manures 1,045,946 4,356,365 552.6 Forest Residuals 2,253,244 3,491,131 498.2

Mill Residues 2,909,745 4,508,301 643.3 Food Waste 679,551 2,830,330 359.0

Biosolids 169,777 707,121 89.7 Urban Wood Waste 764,736 1,184,871 169.1

17,421,871 2,361

Table 5. Virginia’s utility-scale biomass energy generation. Source: EIA Form-860, Annual Electric Generator, yr. 2012. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860/. Last accessed June 30

th, 2014.

Utility Name Plant Name County Nameplate

Capacity (MW) Operating

Year Cogen

Virginia Electric & Power Co.

Alta Vista Power Station Campbell 51 2013 N

Virginia Electric & Power Co.

Hopewell Power Station Hopewell

City 51

Planned conversion

N

Virginia Electric & Power Co.

Multitrade of Pittsylvania LP Pittsylvania 83 1994 N

Virginia Electric & Power Co.

Southampton Power Station Southampton 51 Planned

conversion Y?

Virginia Electric & Power Co.

Virginia Hybrid Energy Center

Wise 117 2012 N

NOVI Energy NOVEC Energy Production,

Halifax County Biomass Halifax 49.4 2013 N

Total utility-scale biomass electricity generation capacity (installed and scheduled) =

~ 400 MW

18

Estimates are based on assumptions found in Appendix A, Virginia Renewable Energy Resources and Costs, prepared by Bird et al. of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, for the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research 2005 report – A study of increased use of renewable energy resources in Virginia: (http://www.energy.vt.edu/Publications/Incr_Use_Renew_Energy_VA_rev1.pdf, last accessed June 30

th, 2014.

Residual estimates are from Appendix, Table 1 of this report, assuming 1/3rd

of all available crop residues are combusted and all available animal manures, retail and post-consumer food waste and biosolids are anaerobically digested for methane. NREL assumed heat content of wood fuels to be 18.6 GJ/ton, 16.5 GJ/ton for crop residues and 50 GJ/ton for methane, a heat rate of approximately 12 GJ per MWh and capacity factors of 80% for combustion and 90% for methane.

24

Table 6. Virginia’s industrial biomass combined heat and power generation. Source: EIA-860, Annual Electric Generator, yr. 2012. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860/. Last accessed June 30

th, 2014.

Utility Name Plant Name County Nameplate Capacity

(MW) Operating Year Cogen

GP Big Island LLC Georgia – Pacific Big

Island Bedford 7.5 1965 Y

International Paper International Paper

Franklin Mill Isle of Wight 99.7 1977 Y

RockTenn-West Point Mill

RockTenn-West Point Mill

King William 101 1985 Y

RockTenn-Hopewell RockTenn – Hopewell Hopewell

City 47.6 1980 Y

MeadWestvaco Corp MeadWestvaco

Covington Facility Covington 75 2013 Y

Total industrial biomass combined heat and power capacity = ~ 330 MW

Table 7. Virginia’s municipal solid waste – waste-to-energy (MSW/WTE) generation. Source: EIA-860, Annual Electric Generator, yr. 2012. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860/. Last accessed June 30

th, 2014.

Utility Name Plant Name County Nameplate

Capacity (MW)

Operating Year

Cogen

Covanta Fairfax Inc Covanta Fairfax Energy Fairfax 124 1990 N

Covanta Alexandria/Arlington

Convanta Alenxandria/Arlington

Energy Alexandria 29 1987 N

Wheelabrator Environmental Systems

Wheelabrator Portsmouth

Portsmouth City

60 1987 Y

Total MSW / WTE capacity = ~ 230 MW

Table 8. Top 10 Virginia counties reporting household heating fuel as wood. Source: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2012. ID# B25040, 2012 ACS 5-year estimates. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/searchresults.xhtml?refresh=t. Last accessed June 30

th, 2014.

Home Heating Fuels – Wood # HH % of VA HH % of County HH

Virginia 83,524 3%

Rockingham County 3,137 4% 11% Augusta County 2,845 3% 10%

Frederick County 2,232 3% 8% Pittsylvania County 2,205 2% 9% Shenandoah County 1,935 2% 12% Rockbridge County 1,917 2% 21%

Carroll County 1,908 2% 15% Montgomery County 1,825 2% 5%

Franklin County 1,780 2% 8% Bedford County 1,773 2% 7%

26%

25

Table 9. Virginia biogas installed capacity. . Source: EIA-860, Annual Electric Generator, yr. 2012. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860/. Last accessed June 30

th, 2014.

Utility Name Plant Name County Nameplate

Capacity (MW) Operating Year Cogen

MillerCoors Shenandoah Brewery

MillerCoors Shenandoah

Brewery Rockingham 1.4 2012 N

Dominion Virginia Power Dairy Energy, Inc.

(Van der Hyde Dairy)

Pittsylvania 0.45 2011 Y

Total installed biogas production capacity = < 2 MW

26

Table 10. Virginia landfill gas projects, 2014. Source: EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program, energy projects and candidate landfills database. http://www.epa.gov/lmop/projects-candidates/index.html. Last accessed June 30

th, 2014.

Landfill Name County Utilization

Type MW

Capacity Operating

Year Emission Reduction

(MMCO2e/yr)

Operational

Amelia Landfill Amelia Electricity 5.7 2002 0.241 Brunswick Waste

Management Facility Brunswick Electricity 5.83 2007 0.246

Charles City County SLF Charles City Electricity 4.90 2004 0.208 Shoosmith LF Chesterfield Electricity 8.50 2004 0.357

I-95 Landfill Fairfax Direct &

Electricity 6.40 1991 0.304

I-66 Landfill Fairfax Direct 2009 0.035

Fauquier County Corral Farm

Fauquier Electricity 2.00 2004 0.084

Frederick County – Winchester SLF

Frederick Direct &

Electricity 2.10 2002 0.090

Middle Peninsula Landfill Gloucester Electricity 6.40 2009 0.270 Bethel LF Hampton Electricity 4.80 2008 0.203

Hanover 301 LF Hanover Direct 2008 0.001 Springfield Road LF Henrico Electricity 3.00 2010 0.127 Richmond Landfill Henrico Electricity 2.70 1993 0.114 Old Dominion LF Henrico Electricity 6.40 2012 0.270

Martinsville City LF Henry Electricity 1.06 2012 0.045 King and Queen Landfill King and Queen Electricity 5.96 2007 0.252

King George LF King George Electricity 12.40 2010 0.524 Lynchburg City LF Lynchburg Direct 2002 0.009

Concord Turnpike Regional Landfill

Lynchburg Direct 2002 0.036

Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority LF

Montgomery Electricity .034 2010 0.014

Independent Hill LF Prince William Direct &

Electricity 1.90 1998 0.098

Rockingham County Landfill Rockingham Direct 2010 0.062 Stafford County LF Stafford Electricity 2.14 2009 0.090

SPSA Regional LF Suffolk Direct &

Electricity 15.20 1994 0.217

Atlantic Waste Disposal Inc. Sussex Direct 200 2004 0.379 Virginia Beach LF #2 Virginia Beach Electricity 4.62 2007 0.043

Total installed landfill gas capacity = ~ 102 MW

Under Construction

Newport News SWDF No. 2 Newport News Direct 2012 SPSA Regional LF Suffolk Electricity 2012 King George LF King George Electricity 2012

27

Table 11. Virginia waste water recovery facilities with operating anaerobic digestion, 2013. http://www.wrrfdata.org/biogas/biogasdata.php. Last accessed June 30

th, 2014.

Water Resource Recovery Facility

City County Drives

Machinery Heats

Digester Generate Electricity

York River WPCF Seaford York N N N Henrico County Water

Reclamation Facility Richmond Henrico ? N N

Town of Christiansburg Christiansburg Montgomery N Y Y Alexandria STP Alexandria Alexandria ? Y N

Alexandria Combined Sewer System

Alexandria Alexandria Y Y N

UOSA - Centreville Centreville Fairfax ? Y N Western Virginia Water

Authority Roanoke Roanoke City Y Y Y

HRSD - Atlantic Sewage Treatment Plant

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach N N N

Leesburg Water Pollution Leesburg Bath N Y N HRSD - Nansemond Sewage

Treatment Plant Suffolk Suffolk City N Y N

Chesapeake - Elizabeth WPCF

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach N Y N

North River Wastewater Treatment Plant

Mt Crawford Rockingham Y Y N

Waynesboro STP Waynesboro Waynesboro N Y Y Peppers Ferry STP Radford Pulaski Y Y N

Falling Creek Sewage Treatment Plant

Chesterfield Chesterfield N Y N

James River WPCF Newport Newport

News N Y N

Proctors Creek WWTP Chester Chesterfield N N N Moores Creek Regional STP Charlottesville Charlottesville ? ? ?

28

Appendix of Links 1. Pittsylvania Power Station: https://www.dom.com/about/stations/renewable/pittsylvania-power-

station.jsp. Last accessed July 24, 2014.

2. Altavista Power Station: https://www.dom.com/about/stations/fossil/altavista-power-station.jsp. Last

accessed July 24, 2014.

3. Hopewell Power Station: https://www.dom.com/about/stations/fossil/hopewell-power-station.jsp. Last

accessed July 24, 2014.

4. Southampton Power Station: https://www.dom.com/about/stations/fossil/southampton-power-

station.jsp. Last accessed July 24, 2014.

5. Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center: https://www.dom.com/about/stations/fossil/virginia-city-hybrid-

energy-center.jsp. Last accessed July 24, 2014.

6. Halifax County Biomass Plant: https://www.novec.com/About_NOVEC/SBE.cfm. Last accessed July 24,

2014.

7. United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan Proposed Rule:

http://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards/clean-power-plan-proposed-rule. Last accessed July

24, 2014.

8. Wheelabrator Portsmouth Inc.: http://wheelabratortechnologies.com/index.cfm/plants/waste-to-

energy/wheelabrator-portsmouth/. Last accessed July 24, 2014.

9. Longwood University Biomass Heating Plant: http://www.longwood.edu/sustainability/29712.htm. Last

accessed July 24, 2014.

10. Piedmont Geriatric Hospital Native Warm Season Grass Biofuel to Steam:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVMt9B6nz00. July 24, 2014.

11. Ferrum College Biomass Energy and Research Facility press release:

http://www.ferrum.edu/campus_life/news/Articles/english_biomass_partners_helps_ferrum_college_go

_green.html. Last accessed July 24, 2014.

12. Virginia’s Legislative Information System, Code of Virginia: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-

bin/legp604.exe?000+cod+TOC. Last accessed July 24, 2014.

13. Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries

Development Fund: http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/agribusiness/afid.shtml. Last accessed July 24, 2014.

14. Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Community Wood Energy Program:

http://www.woodenergyva.org/. Last accessed July 24, 2014.

15. Virginia Department of Mines Minerals and Energy, Commonwealth Energy Fund:

http://www.dmme.virginia.gov/DE/CommonwealthEnergyFund.shtml. Last accessed July 24, 2014.

16. Virginia Tech Bioenergy Resources: http://www.research.vt.edu/energy/resbio.html. Last accessed July

24, 2014.

17. The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, Center for Sustainable and Renewable Resources:

http://www.ialr.org/index.php/applied-research/agriculture/sustainable-renewable-resources. Last

accessed July 24, 2014.

18. Virginia Clean Cities: http://www.vacleancities.org/. Last accessed July 24, 2014.

19. Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium: http://www.vcerc.org/biodiesel.htm. Last accessed July 24,

2014.