By Eric Fetters
Herald Writer
DARRINGTON — The former owner of this town’s sawmill is among those proposing to build a co-generation power plant that could burn the mill’s wood waste to produce electricity.
The plant, which also would burn natural gas, would be located next to the mill on Darrington’s eastern city limit.
"It’s a good project. It’s 25 or so more good-paying jobs for Darrington, and more tax revenues for the school district," said John Koster, who represents the Darrington area on the Snohomish County Council. "It’s a win-win deal for everybody."
Representatives of the project talked with Snohomish County officials, including Koster, earlier this month. Since then, county planners have looked into what zoning issues a new power plant might face.
The project’s developer is National Energy Systems Co., known as NESCO, and is owned by the Jones family, which was the longtime owner of Darrington’s Summer Timber Co. Earlier this year, Gary Jones sold the town’s mill to Hampton Affiliates of Portland, Ore., which has restarted operations there.
Jones referred calls to Chuck Martin at NESCO’s office in Kirkland. Martin did not return messages left Tuesday.
NESCO was founded in 1985 by Darrell Jones, who also was raised in Darrington. He led the privately held firm until he was killed in a boating accident in Mexico last year.
The company began gaining attention a few years ago with its plan to build a power plant in Sumas, near a 127-megawatt plant and lumber mill it already owns in that Whatcom County town. The state’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council recommended against building the 660-megawatt gas-turbine electric plant last year, but a revised proposal is now under consideration.
In addition to its Sumas lumber mill and energy plant, NESCO owns natural gas and oil reserves in British Columbia and Alberta, and other energy plants in Washington and California.
The company is looking at building power-producing projects at other new sites, including a natural-gas-fired plant near Olympia.
You can call Herald Writer Eric Fetters at 425-339-3453
or send e-mail to fetters@heraldnet.com.
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