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Lincoln County discusses biomass energy project as a local response to forest fuels and economic decline
Summary
County officials described an early-stage proposal in Eureka for a 5–10 MW biomass-to-energy facility to use small-diameter forest material, support local co-ops and create jobs; financing, permitting and scale remain unresolved.
At a meeting with Senator Shei’s new staff member, county officials described a nascent plan in Eureka to use small-diameter forest biomass to generate electricity and reduce hazardous fuels.
“We’re trying to put together a biomass incinerator / energy creation situation… 5 to 10 megawatts, it'd be wonderful,” a county participant said, adding that county-owned property with three-phase power could provide a site and that a public-private partnership would be the preferred financing model.
Officials framed the project as a way to convert slash and small woody material, now commonly burned in large piles, into dispatchable energy sold into local co-op grids, and to create a local economic outlet for forest byproducts. They noted limits: the idea is at the ground floor, funding has not been secured, and building a reliable timber supply chain is challenging where timber-sale timelines and logging economics are uncertain.
The proposal was discussed alongside broader concerns about insurance availability in wildfire-prone places, grant funding gaps, and the county’s desire to pair economic development with fuels reduction. No engineering estimates, permitting plans, or formal approvals were presented at the meeting.
County representatives said they would pursue public-private funding and work with electric co-ops if the project advances. Senator Shei's staff agreed to receive project materials and look into federal or state technical assistance programs.
