Proposed Door County biogas plant offers green energy solution

From an article by Ramelle Bintz in the Door County Advocate:

The prospect of a new miniature power plant supplying electricity for 400 homes in Door County also lit up the imaginations of Sturgeon Bay Plan Commission members Wednesday.

Owners of Efrim Industries LLC previewed how waste products could be processed at a dairy farm or other waste site and brought to the former Door County Highway Department shop at 916 N. 14th Ave. for conversion into electricity.

Efrim proposes to lease or purchase the vacant 30,000-square-foot industrial building from the county and retrofit it for non-toxic fuel storage, a biomass fuel feeding system, a "gasifier," steam turbine and baghouse.

The presentation sparked several questions about what type of waste can be recycled in Sturgeon Bay and why the company chose Door County to launch their new prototype. Owners said they also want to convert the facility to use as corporate headquarters, showcase the model here and market it worldwide.

The large farms in nearby Kewaunee and Brown counties, as well as those of Door County are a major reason Efrim Industries was attracted to the area, co-founder and president Raphael Fink told commissioners.

"The recent downturn in the shipbuilding trade has left Door County with many skilled and highly trained people available to construct and operate the Sturgeon Bay facility," Fink said. "The state of Wisconsin and the federal government are providing many financial incentives for businesses willing to establish themselves and create jobs in Sturgeon Bay. The port of Sturgeon Bay also allows easy access to Lake Michigan."

Door County Economic Development Corp. Director Bill Chaudoir and city Community Development Director Marty Olejniczak have been working behind the scenes with the firm and were also at Wednesday's meeting. Efrim also has been in negotiations with the county government, which owns the site that has been vacant several years.