PORTLAND, Maine — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $556,520 in grants to Athens Energy to build a new biomass-fueled power generator that runs on wood waste from logging and timberland thinning operations.
The USDA announced $1.66 million in awards to 14 rural Maine businesses Monday, including a Brunswick-based anaerobic digester generator and the Athens-based power venture that was approved for $12 million in state tax incentives last year. The incentives were based on $30.3 million in committed investment from the Missouri-based investment firm CCG Community Partners LLC.
The USDA said the proposed Athens biomass plant would produce enough electricity to power about 5,409 homes. It would use $56,520 of the award to use waste heat from the biomass generator to dry wood chips at an adjacent pellet plant, owned by a sister company.
The agency also gave $500,000 to a subsidiary of the company Village Green Ventures, VGBLADS LLC, to build an anaerobic digester that can produce enough electricity to power 727 homes.
The agency awarded money to a dozen other rural Maine businesses, mostly to install roof-mounted or sun-tracking pole-mounted solar panels, including:
— $227,681 to Smith’s Farm Inc., Presque Isle, for pole-mounted solar panels.
— $106,862 to Giles M. Michaud, Caswell, for pole-mounted solar panels.
— $59,301 to The Wildwood Corp., Bridgton, for roof-mounted solar panels.
— $49,500 to Labrie Farms, St. Agatha, for roof- and ground-mounted solar panels.
— $49,273 to Maine Beer Co., Freeport, for roof- and ground-mounted solar panels.