Global consumer products major The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) and Constellation New Energy Inc., a subsidiary of US competitive energy provider Exelon Corporation have announced the completion of a 50 MW biomass-fueled combined heat and power (CHP) plant located at one of P&G’s largest US facilities. Constellation owns and operates the plant, which supplies steam to P&G’s Albany, GA paper manufacturing facility and generates electricity for the local utility, Georgia Power.
Additionally, steam from the plant will be used to power an 8.5 MW steam-to-electricity generator at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, helping the base increase its energy security and utilize renewable sources to meet energy demands.
According to a statement, P&G has made a commitment to reduce energy consumption and obtain 30 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. The biomass-fueled plant provides P&G with 100 percent of the steam energy used to manufacture Bounty paper towels and Charmin toilet tissue at that location.
Along with P&G’s recent wind energy project in Texas, this plant nearly doubles the company’s use of renewable energy. Together, these renewable projects get P&G nearly two-thirds of the way to its goal.
By powering our Bounty and Charmin plant with renewable energy, consumers can feel good about putting these products in their carts. We are using our innovative capabilities and those of our external partners to drive meaningful change that is good for the environment and good for business, said Stefano Zenezini, P&G Vice President Product Supply and Sustainability.
Wood residuals and yard waste
The plant’s fuel supply will come from locally abundant biomass that would otherwise have been left to decay, burned, or potentially sent to landfill, including discarded tree tops, limbs, branches and scrap wood from local forestry operations, crop residuals, such as pecan shells and peanut hulls, and mill waste, such as sawdust.
Constellation is proud to support P&G, Georgia Power and the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany toward achieving their renewable energy objectives. Increasingly, customers and communities are looking to alternatives that provide greater flexibility in managing energy costs, improving reliability and achieving environmental objectives, said Gary Fromer, Constellation Senior Vice President of Distributed Energy.
Georgia Power’s purchase of energy from Constellation is part of its multifaceted strategy to encourage and cultivate renewable energy sources in Georgia and was made possible under a program co-developed with, and approved by, the Georgia Public Service Commission.
We are proud to work with our customers, including leading Georgia businesses such as Procter & Gamble, to use innovative approaches to grow renewable resources. This Albany biomass project brings many benefits for our state and nation, and we expect it will contribute to our state’s diverse energy resources for years to come, said Wilson Mallard, Director of Renewable Development for Georgia Power.
The plant’s development and construction also included collaboration with the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission, local city, county and state leaders, and energy companies. DCO Energy, which provided engineering, procurement and construction services, holds a small stake in the plant. Constellation’s affiliate, Exelon Generation, operates and maintains the plant, employing approximately 35 people.
