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HDR presents biomass feasibility update; feedstock availability emerges as key hurdle
Summary
HDR briefed the county on plant tours and a feasibility study, detailing operations at an existing Columbia Falls biomass plant, differences at municipal solid-waste facilities, capital and operating costs, and the need for firm feedstock commitments before issuing an RFI/RFP.
HDR consultants updated the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners on March 11 about their biomass feasibility study, summarizing recent plant tours, technical findings and next steps. Presenters described a woody-biomass combined heat-and-power facility visited in Columbia Falls and two municipal solid-waste facilities in Florida, then outlined how feedstock availability and interconnection costs will determine site selection and technology options.
At the Columbia Falls plant HDR noted fuel consumption (~67,000 green tons/year for a 3.75 MW cogeneration plant), an ash-production profile (about eight tons per day, primarily landfilled), staffing and spare‑parts constraints, and a capital-cost example (~$23 million for the 3.75 MW plant). HDR emphasized that specialized maintenance skills and parts lead times are operational constraints in Montana’s region.
HDR also reviewed municipal solid-waste (MSW) waste-to-energy operations seen in Florida, which included larger throughput (units rated around 1,000 short tons per day) and more complex air‑pollution control systems. HDR said MSW projects favor disposal-first economics and require substantially higher capital and retrofit expenditures for emissions controls.
Commissioners and HDR discussed next steps: HDR will combine site fatal‑flaw analyses with updated feedstock assessments into a single Q2 report, pursue more detailed data from timber operators and the Forest Service, and seek memoranda of understanding from local suppliers to strengthen an RFI/RFP. HDR identified feedstock commitments as the single largest variable affecting technology selection and project feasibility and recommended convening regional suppliers at an April update meeting.
Quotes in the meeting captured the practical constraints: “The feed stock is a big variable in that. It kind of dictates a lot of our capacity and and our offtake,” HDR staff said, and commissioners urged continuing outreach to timber industry stakeholders to secure credible fuel commitments.
Next steps: HDR will continue site evaluations, collect binding and nonbinding commitments from regional fuel suppliers where possible, and prepare an integrated report for the board later this quarter.
