Clearview council supports Millers’ biogas facility
Clearview Township council is supporting the Millers in their application to construct a biogas facility at Cashtown Corners to help offset the electricity consumption of their medical marijuana facility.
Naomi Miller told council Sept. 14 that the growth facility uses about 3,000 kilowatts of electricity each day and they are applying to build an anaerobic digester through the province’s feed-in-tariff (FIT) program with the hope of using organic waste from the facility and the Miller family farms to create power.
The project is being developed with PlanET Biogas Solutions, a dedicated biogas company.
According to business development manager Gregory Gray, PlanET has built over 365 biogas plants worldwide, including 12 on-farm digesters in Canada and one anaerobic digester at the agricultural research facility at the University of Guelph.
Gray explained that the digester would convert biogas to renewable electrical and thermal energy by processing dairy manure and other organic waste.
With the FIT application going ahead with council support it has a better chance of being approved.
He said the facility operates at a low noise level and all the odours are contained within the processor. The organic material will be trucked to the site, requiring about three to seven loads per week.
The Millers do not need access to township property to access the hydro grid as their operation will be able to feed directly into the existing high voltage power connection on their own property.
This pleased Councillor Kevin Elwood who has concerns about alternative energy companies using public property and roadways as securities by third party corporations.
“It’s not often that I speak in favour of a FIT project. I am not a supporter but this is different,” said Elwood.
He said he supports the 500-kilowatt biogas project because it is the right size for the operation, it will be operated by the landowners and they have sought out expertise.
“I think it’s good for the community,” said Elwood. “It’s common sense.”
There was some talk around the council table of amending the resolution but councillors unanimously agreed to pass the resolution containing the exact wording required by the FIT program at the urging of the proponents, in order to give the application the best chance of success.
