The project was made possible by the natural gas pipeline that runs from Canada to southern Maine. A lateral line running from the main line in Orrington brought natural gas into the mill this summer. The gas, which is heated to about 360 degrees to ensure a cleaner burn, is used to drive the turbine which, in turn, spins the generator to produce power. The exhaust from the turbine is captured in a boiler that extracts the heat from the exhaust and uses it to create steam that is then pumped into the mill. The new power plant is a distinctive industrial project, Cunningham said, in that it benefits the environment and provides operational benefits for the mill.
Most projects usually do just one or the other.
This will cut our emissions by 50 percent and reduce the cost of manufacturing, Cunningham said. Much of the environmental benefit comes from the elimination of coal as a fuel source. That cuts the power production from that boiler which will continue to burn wood chips, sludge and tires almost in half. The new system will provide more than the mill s electrical power needs, Poole said. The mill will use about 53 megawatts of the power the new generator produces.