Company to build 35MW biomass plant in Liberia: waste rubberwood feedstock

Canada's Buchanan Renewable Energies has pledged to construct a 35MW integrated biomass electricity generation power plant in Paynesville to supply electricity to Monrovia. Power supplies in Liberia's capital are erratic, with the poor country's main electricity facility - a large hydroelectric power plant - still damaged because of the civil war that kept the West African country in its grip for years.

Buchanan Renewable's president Stan Ridley told a news conference that the power plant will use rubberwood chips to produce cheap and affordable electricity for Liberians. The rubberwood comes from plantations that are no longer productive and were up for replanting.

After the useful economic lifespan of rubber tapping, the older practice was to burn the 'useless' trees, because removing and reusing the resource as lumber was a costly process. Burning obviously means the release of a large amount of greenhouse gases. But today, with skyrocketing energy prices, it has become a profitable proposition to use rubber trees as a feedstock for green energy production.

Operations to construct the 35MW biomass power plant are expected to commence in December 2010 with an investment estimated at more than US$100 million.

Meanwhile a smaller, 7 MW power plant will be constructed by Buchanan Renewables and is expected to be in operation by next year December. Ridley confirmed that his company is in talks with the Liberian Government regarding the construction of the power plant. Ridley said that as soon as Buchanan Renewables and the Liberian Government reach an agreement “construction work would immediately begin”.

Liberia's installed power capacity is currently rated at around 188MW. Buchanan Renewable's planned 42MW will thus mean a relatively large and much needed increase in capacity for the country:
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Ridley further added that his company has brought US$17.5 million worth of equipment not only meant for the work of Buchanan Renewables but also for the construction of roads. The foundation which owns Buchanan Renewables has also promised to invest back company profit into health care delivery, education and capacity building.

Interestingly, Buchanan Renewables shows that instead of creating new energy crop plantations or instead of burning biomass to get rid of it, there is a large potential in utilizing existing resources and biomass waste streams for energy.

However, it is not clear whether the rubberwood chips to be used will be obtained from whole trees, or whether the resource is a residue from a sawnwood operation. Rubberwood has alternative uses as timber for the production of a variety of wood products such as furniture and building materials.

References:
Africa News: Liberia: Plans for biomass plant announced - July 16, 2008.

UNData: Electricity, net installed capacity of electric power plants - Liberia.