Utilities interested in corn stover pellets

Biomass Magazine
By Lisa Gibson
Posted August 17, 2010, at 2:51 p.m. CST

Several utilities are in discussions with Nebraska-based Next Step Biofuels Inc., interested in cofiring the company’s corn stover PowerPellets with coal. The corn stover pellets are attractive because they pulverize and process like coal, and ship and store like grain, according to Will Gardenswartz, Next Step Biofuels spokesman.

Nebraska utility Omaha Public Power District will test burn 2,200 tons of the PowerPellets, which will replace 5 percent of the coal usage in one of five boilers, and is the furthest along in supply negotiations with Next Step, Gardenswartz said. If all goes well, a contract could be in place by mid-October.

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