NRG Energy Services selected to restart Aspen Power biomass plant in Texas

NRG Energy Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NRG Energy, was selected by InventivEnergy to restart the Aspen Power biomass plant in the US. The plant has not been operational since 2012.

Once online, the plant will also be operated and maintained by NRG Energy Services.

Located in Lufkin, Texas, the plant is capable of delivering approximately 50MW to the grid and uses locally sourced clean wood-waste biomass as its fuel supply.

InventivEnergy is an asset management firm that is overseeing the plant.

The biomass plant employs a stoker type boiler with particulate emissions abatement and has selective catalytic reduction for NOx control.

Work to restart the facility began in mid-May and commercial operations are expected to be achieved by late July. NRG is in the process of hiring the site management team and operating staff.

InventivEnergy CEO & Founder John R. Keller said the Aspen Power facility was shut down in the fall of 2012 due to market economics. Since then, the company’s projections show an attractive opportunity for the plant to resume operations and provide competitively-priced clean energy to the Texas market.

"We are very excited to team-up with NRG in bringing Aspen back on-line and combining its top-tier O&M capabilities with InventivEnergy’s proven expertise in power plant asset management, value enhancement and optimization," Keller added.

NRG Energy Services president Don Poe said, "NRG Energy Services has exceptional experience in renewable energy and fossil fuel generating station operations, and we look forward to working with InventivEnergy and bringing this expertise to the Aspen Power plant."

The plant, which was commissioned by Aspen Power in 2011, consumes about 525,000 tons of logging debris and municipal wood waste per year.

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Image: The Aspen power plant uses locally sourced clean wood-waste biomass as its fuel supply. The plant is managed by InventivEnergy and will be operated by NRG ENergy Services. (Photo: Business Wire).