Sure, it may sound great — but we want to see it in action.
That was, generally speaking, the common theme among about a dozen people who spoke up Wednesday during an informational session on a proposed $30 million anaerobic digestion facility Greenpoint Energy Partners of Brooklyn, N.Y. wants to build on North Division Street in Ansonia.
Unfortunately, seeing one in action involves hopping on a jet plane and crossing the Atlantic, because there are no facilities like the one being proposed in Ansonia anywhere in the U.S. at the moment.
In the video at the top of this story, Tom Brayman, one of Greenpoint’s principals, introduces the concept to Ansonia and talks about how the company found out about the city.
The Plan
The idea is to truck in food waste from area supermarkets, hospitals and restaurants, then convert the food stuff (inside large, sealed facilities) into methane gas, which is then used to power engines that produce electricity.
The anaerobic digester will accept about 150 tons of food waste per day, yielding 60 tons of compost to be trucked out a day. It will see 10 truck trips a day, according to Greenpoint — six trucks bringing food waste in, four trucking compost out.
The facility will produce 2 megawatts of electricity per hour. Currently city-owned buildings in Ansonia use about 1 megawatt per hour, according to Brayman.
In the video below, Brayman explains how anaerobic digestion works. The article continues after the video.
It’s a “green” industry initiative — one that is supported by state leaders who are looking for alternatives to the American tradition of burning trash or burying waste in the ground.
Greenpoint Energy Partners — and their investors — will make money by selling electricity, selling the organic compound the process yields that can be used in fertilizer — and charging fees to the trucks that deliver food waste to the facility.
What does the city get?
Electricity will be sold to the City of Ansonia at a cheaper rate than the city currently pays with United Illuminating — although a specific rate has not yet been ironed out.
In addition, the city will be able to levy property and sewer taxes on the $30 million project, which is proposed to be built on Ansonia-owned land next to the city’s garbage transfer station and a wastewater treatment plant. Currently the land isn’t on the tax rolls.
The electricity sold to the city will be used to power the Ansonia wastewater treatment plant.
The company will lease the land from Ansonia for $1 per year. That lease has yet to be signed.
The city will not spend any money on the facility, Greenpoint representatives said repeatedly.
The facility, once up and running, will employ eight to 10 people. Greenpoint hopes to have the facility open by June 2014.
In this video, Brayman talks about how much food waste will be processed in Ansonia, if the project receives a green light:
The Players
This is Greenpoint’s first try at an anaerobic digestion facility. They’re partnering with architects, builders and a tech company. Those partners include:
- Honeywell, the company that would build, operate and maintain the facility.
- BDI, the company providing the technology at the heart of the project.
- IDEA Engineering, based in Milford.
- LPCiminelli, a construction company from New York
The ‘Micro-Grid’
As part of their presentation to the Ansonia Energy Improvement District Board, Greenpoint Energy’s Brayman said the company will create an electric “micro-grid” that will be able to provide power to “critical infrastructure” and businesses near North Division Street.
Brayman talks about the grid in the video below:
The micro-grid would be able to sustain prolonged blackouts, such as those caused during tropical storms.
Brayman said the city’s wastewater treatment plant would be on the grid, along with nearby Stop & Shop and an unnamed bank, gas station and pharmacy.
The utility lines carrying electricity to those businesses would be buried under ground, Brayman said.
“(The micro-grid) is designed to run 24 – 7 for four weeks until United Illuminating gets the power back on,” Brayman said.
Residents Want A Test Drive
Wednesday’s forum was for information only.
Greenpoint needs to obtain at least five permits from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, along with approvals from the Ansonia Planning and Zoning Commission. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Connecticut Siting Council will also weigh in on parts of the proposal.
The majority of the members of the public who spoke Wednesday were leery of the plan.
They wanted more information on Greenpoint’s finances. They wanted more information on the electrical rate Greenpoint will charge Ansonia. They wanted information on how long Ansonia will receive the cheaper rates.
In the video below, Gregory Pataky, a member of the public, asks about what happens in the facility doesn’t turn a profit for the companies involved.
Ansonia resident Bart Flaherty, who is also the chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission and a member of the Economic Development Commission, asked whether the company would consider contributing more to Ansonia, such as giving the city a percentage of the company’s tipping fees from the trucks that will be unloading food waste inside the facility.
Other concerns had to deal with issues that could be dealt with by Planning and Zoning. Donna Lindgren, for instance, asked questions about emmissions from the 10 trucks involved in the facility’s operation and the impact it will have on already poor air quality. She also questioned the impact on migratory birds.
Other residents worried the project won’t make Greenpoint enough money — and that Ansonia will be stuck with a state-of-the-art, albeit empty, facility.
In this video, resident Robert Turschmann asks a series of questions about the project:
State Rep. Linda Gentile said state government is encouraging green industry to plant roots in Connecticut. She called the Greenpoint proposal “responsible” and “progressive.”
Gentile’s comments are in the video below:
Gentile’s comments carried weight with Ansonia Alderman Charlie Stowe. He and several residents who spoke Wednesday said Greenpoint should arrange a visit to Europe, where such facilities are commonplace.
“We ask a lot of questions in this town. And we like answers,” Stowe said.
Resident Charlene Colucci was frustrated that Ansonia was seriously considering the facility without having seen one in action.
“Before I buy a car, I test drive. I read Consumer Reports,” she said.
The anaerobic digestion facility has been in the planning stages for about two years, mostly in discussion with the city’s energy board. However, the project has changed substantially since it was first introduced to the city’s Board of Aldermen in 2011.
It no longer involves processing sewage sludge, which was supposed to save the city hundreds of thousands of dollars. The plan doesn’t call for the electricity to power all city buildings — just a few on North Division Street.
Steve Blume, a former Aldermen and a member of the city’s energy board, reminded residents that the city needs to grow its grand list.
Substantial economic development in Ansonia isn’t happening, Blume said. A $30 million project is economic development and a way to grow the city’s grand list and generate tax revenue that isn’t coming from residential homeowners.
“We spend, spend, spend — and nothing is coming here,” Blume said.
Alderman Jerome Fainer warned against being anti-business.
“I can’t see us putting on too many stipulations on them (that will) drive them out of town.” Fainer said.
The meeting lasted about two hours. The Valley Indy recorded and edited about 30 minutes of video from the meeting, which can be viewed in the YouTube playlist below.
