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Concord Blue Development engages Lockheed Martin for Eagar biomass plant

Concord Blue Development (CBD), a special purpose entity of US-based Concord Blue Energy Inc., a subsidiary of Germany-headed gasification technology developers Concord Blue Engineering GmbH has announced that it has engaged Lockheed Martin Corporation for the design, engineering, and construction (EPC) of its Eagar Arizona biomass power plant.

Lockheed Martin Corporation has been awarded a US$35 million contract by Concord Blue Development (CBD) to proceed with all engineering, procurement, and construction of its Eagar biomass power project in Eagar, Arizona (AZ). The biopower facility will transform forestry waste to power using Concord Blue’s Reformer technology, which converts waste to energy through a process the company calls “advanced gasification.” Concord Blue has several gasification units operating in India and Japan (photo courtesy Concord Blue).

According to a statement, Lockheed Martin will serve as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor and provide support services for the US$35 million project. Lockheed Martin has initiated a conceptual design and engineering process which is expected to produce a detailed procurement and construction timeline in early 2018. Requests for bids will follow once project specifications have been finalized.

CBD’s power purchase agreement with Navopache Electric Cooperative (NEC) was amended in late September to adjust the commercial operations date of the plant to April 2020. NEC has an existing contract with CBD to purchase 1 MW of renewable electricity for the next 20 years.

Construction of the Eagar biomass plant – which will produce electricity and high-quality biochar – is scheduled to resume in the first quarter of 2019. The project is expected to create 20 to 35 local short-term construction jobs and 12 full-time plant operating jobs. Dozens of indirect jobs will also be created in the trucking, feedstock handling, and other related sectors.

Successful partnership

Concord Blue Energy and Lockheed Martin have successfully partnered on numerous projects in the past. In 2016, Lockheed Martin inaugurated an innovative gasification plant at its Owego, New York (NY) facility which is powered by Concord Blue Reformer technology.

The two companies have also partnered to construct a 5 MWe biopower plant in Herten, Germany utilizing the same technology.

Lockheed Martin has a strong reputation for delivering projects on time and on budget. They are the best possible partner for this project. Two global companies are coming together to create a groundbreaking project in Northern Arizona. Economic development in related industries should follow as the project comes online. NEC has been a great advocate of economic development in the Eagar community and the region. They have proven themselves to be a leader in planning for a sustainable energy future for their members, said Mo Vargas, CEO of Concord Blue Energy.

Lockheed Martin is excited to help create a landmark bioenergy project in Northern Arizona, according to Craig Moeller, Director of Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Energy Generation sector.

We look forward to continuing our partnership with Concord Blue and to working with the regional business community and workforce to help deliver an innovative and highly efficient waste-to-energy project, Craig Moeller said.

Once completed, the Eagar biomass plant will be the largest project of its kind in North America and a showcase for Concord Blue Reformer waste-to-energy (WTE) development worldwide.

According to Vargas, CBD and Lockheed Martin expect to host visiting clients, partners and manufacturing teams from all over the world in Eagar, resulting in a “positive economic impact” throughout the region.

The Town of Eagar is excited about the new direction and renewed energy that Concord Blue is utilizing to move the biomass plant forward to completion, said Eagar Interim Town Manager Bruce Ray.

Apache County is also working to actively encourage economic development, according to Apache County Supervisor Doyel Shamley.

Apache County looks forward to forging partnerships that help build a sustainable woody-biomass utilization industry in this area. Apache County is proactively seeking ways to create jobs and economic benefits, while also improving safety and promote healthier forage and habitat throughout Apache County, ended Doyel Shamley

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