“We, in Pennsylvania, have the ingenuity and resources to develop and deploy new clean energy technology,” said environmental protection secretary Kathleen McGinty. “Our commonwealth is offering significant financial incentives to make energy manufacturing a cornerstone in the state’s economic future and ensure that more electricity generation comes from environmentally beneficial sources.”
The largest share of the funding, $US3.5 million, will be given to Pristine Resources to convert waste heat from a 1.7 million tones per annum coking operation into an outfit that will produce 130MW of electricity annually. In addition to the 1000 jobs created to construct it, the project will also create 179 positions at the coking plant and another 500 jobs in three coal mines that will be reopened to provide the operation’s feedstock.
PFBC Environmental Energy Technology will also receive $US1 million for the design, construction and commission of a process rest facility that will burn a diverse spectrum of Pennsylvania’s waste coals. Advanced Fibers and Powders will receive over $US130,000 to finance the development of an integrated carbon activation and gasification process that will utilize a cleaner-burning anthracite coal for the generation of electricity.
Additionally, Advanced Energy Partners will receive more than $US400,000 to fund the development and installation of a dispatchable aggregate power plant with a 600kW capacity.
The remaining monies will be awarded in the form of grants or loans for a variety of electric power plants, including wind, solar and biomass, as well as comprehensive development plans in multiple counties throughout the state.
PEDA, an independent financing authority created to assist in financing clean, indigenous energy projects in Pennsylvania, announced its call for applications April 1 of this year. The organization was created by the Pennsylvania Energy Emergency Powers Act passed in 1982.
The projects were selected on several criteria, including the ability to promote Pennsylvania’s native energy resources, support energy diversity and enhance energy security, and were judged on their economic potential and possible environmental benefits.
