Hampton’s co-generation plant taking shape
Published 9:00 pm Sunday, January 1, 2006
Hampton Affiliates is not the first to propose harnessing the power of the Darrington sawmill’s wood waste in order to produce steam and electricity.
National Energy Systems Co. of Kirkland proposed a 15- to 20-megawatt plant in early 2003. But that plan was shelved amid concerns about its effect on Darrington’s smoky winter air and changes in the electricity market.
Hampton then applied early in 2005 for permits for a smaller plant, one with a maximum capacity of about 6 megawatts. A megawatt provides enough power for roughly 1,000 homes.
Because of its smaller size, the plant didn’t require the same scrutiny that a larger one would have gotten, state regulators determined.
The basic operation of the cogeneration plant will be simple:
Wood waste from the mill will be burned, heating up giant boilers of water to produce steam. That steam is then used to heat up lumber drying kilns and to spin power-generating turbines.
The plant, under construction on land northwest of the main sawmill complex in Darrington, could be started up in April or May. It will create about nine jobs, said Dave Garcia, the Darrington mill’s manager.
