Project Overview

Tribe/Awardee
Menominee Tribal Enterprises/Menominee Tribal Enterprises

Location
Neopit, WI

Project Title
MTE District Biomass Combined Heat & Power (CHP) Project

Type of Application
Deployment

DOE Grant Number
DE-EE0006476

Project Amounts
DOE: $1,032,602
Awardee: $1,032,603
Total: $2,065,205

Project Status
See project status

Project Period of Performance
Start: April 2014
End: December 2016

Summary

In order to hedge against volatile fossil fuel prices, Menominee Tribal Enterprises (MTE) will install a new biomass-fueled district combined heat and power (CHP) system to generate steam and electricity using renewable biomass fuel. The MTE District Biomass CHP Project involves removing an existing inefficient low-pressure biomass fired steam boiler and installing a high-pressure CHP system in the existing boiler house. The CHP system will include a new 250-horsepower (hp), 300 pounds/square-inch-gauge (psig)–rated (270-psig operating) biomass-fired steam boiler, and 166-kilowatt (kW) single-stage backpressure steam turbine generator. One of the existing 800-hp lower-pressure steam boilers will be refurbished and provide additional capacity to meet peak demand as well as serve as a backup for the new boiler.

The project will provide benefits including annual generation of an estimated 1,020,217 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable electricity, annual reduction of 11,378 tons of biomass fuel compared to current operations, temporary creation or retention of 34 full-time-equivalent (FTE) positions in the construction and engineering industry, annual reduction of particulate matter (PM) emissions by an estimated 118 tons per year; and continued use of residual wood waste from on-site mill operations and local forestry operations. This will provide an annual monetary benefit of $405,752 based on current electricity prices and biomass fuel values.

Project Description

Background

MTE is an instrumentality of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. MTE operates a sawmill and lumber drying operation located in Neopit, Wisconsin, and actively manages more than 250,000 acres of forestland located on tribal lands. The sawmill complex, also located on tribal lands, processes timber into marketable forest products.

The following is MTE's mission statement: "Menominee Tribal Enterprises is committed to excellence in the sustainable management of our forest, and the manufacturing of our lumber and forest products providing a consistently superior product while serving the needs of our forest, employees, wood products customers, tribal community, and future generations."

MTE is committed to providing sustainable jobs for the Menominee Indian Tribe, and is a major employer, representing approximately 20% of the jobs in Menomonie County. MTE has a history of sustainability and uses this sustainability to improve marketing of its lumber and value-added products. The Menominee Tribal Enterprises Seventh Generation sustainable harvest management program has been lauded for both environmental and economic health. In 1995, MTE received the United Nations' Award on Sustainable Development, and in 1996 it received the Award for Sustainable Development from President Bill Clinton. Forest products were certified through Scientific Certification Systems Inc. (now doing business as SCS Global Services) as sustainably harvested. This recognition has created greater awareness for MTE products.

Project Objectives

To further its mission of sustainability, MTE is working to reduce its carbon footprint through the use of clean renewable fuels. Long-term energy goals for MTE include energy independence through the use of renewable resources. MTE's Biomass CHP District Energy Project represents MTE's largest step yet toward achieving this goal.

The objective for the project is to efficiently generate steam and electricity using the new biomass boiler. Steam will be generated at a higher pressure than needed for distribution to the eight buildings at the MTE complex and reduced down to distribution pressure through the backpressure steam turbine.

The project has the following direct goals:

  • Replace the purchase of electricity with renewable generated electricity to move towards energy independence and reduce carbon footprint
  • Provide annual energy cost savings on electricity and biomass (sawmill residue use) to improve economic competitiveness of MTE and continue to provide sustainable jobs for Menominee Tribe
  • Replace aging boiler system with modern more efficient equipment that is more reliable
  • Reduce emissions and improve local air quality.

Project Scope

MTE will use a design build approach to complete the installation. The management approach will be to develop a request for proposals (RFP) for a design build construction project. The purchasing manager for MTE will solicit quotes from contractors to complete the tasks listed in the RFP. The safety coordinator/project manager for MTE will oversee the installation of the project. Both the safety coordinator/project manager and purchasing manager will track items and fulfill grant reporting requirements.

The design build contractor will procure construction permits and apply for the air quality permit. The boiler will be ordered upon receipt of the air quality permit from the Environmental Protection Agency. The existing biomass boiler will be disassembled and removed from the boiler plant to make room for the new biomass CHP boiler. The new biomass CHP boiler will be rigged in to the boiler house using a crane. A new fuel storage addition, fuel handling system, high-temperature bag house emission control system, and deaerator system will be installed. Once the mechanical components are commissioned, the generator and switchgear will be commissioned. After successful commissioning of the backpressure steam turbine, the utility tests will be conducted and interconnection with the electric grid established.

Project Location

The seat of government for the Menominee Indian Tribe is located approximately 45 miles northwest of Green Bay, Wisconsin, on the Menominee Indian Reservation, in the Village of Keshena. The reservation shares nearly coterminous geopolitical boundaries with Menominee County, is situated on the ancestral homelands of its 8,551 tribal members, and includes five main communities: Keshena, Neopit, Middle Village, Zoar, and South Branch. The reservation comprises 235,523 acres, or approximately 357.96 square miles, and includes more than 407 miles of improved and unimproved roads, 187 rivers and streams, and 53 lakes.

Project Status

This project is complete. For more, see the final report.

The project was competitively selected under the Tribal Energy Program's fiscal year 2013 funding opportunity announcement "Community-Scale Clean Energy Projects in Indian Country" (DE-FOA-0000852) and started in April 2014.

The March 2014May 2015, and December 2016 project status report provides more information.