Single Page | 
Multiple Pages
Home > BizTimes Daily > Archives > October 7, 2008
Companies plan to build biogas plants in Wisconsin
Published October 7, 2008 - BizTimes Daily
De Forest, Wis.-based Sanimax and StormFisher Biogas announced today a strategic alliance to build eight biogas plants, for a total investment of over $160 million.
The companies said the plants will transform organic byproducts from the food processing industry, restaurants and institutions such as schools into renewable energy and organic fertilizer.
Once operational, the eight plants will offset the carbon dioxide equivalent of 120,000 tons and divert half a million tons of organic byproducts every year, creating enough energy to power 20,000 homes, the organizations said.
Biogas plants naturally decompose matter into nutrient-rich solids and liquids-which can be used to help grow agricultural crops and residential gardens-and into methane, a biological replacement for natural gas.
The plants transform byproducts from food services, the meat and vegetable processing industries, bakeries and dairies into energy.
Effective immediately, the two companies will jointly pursue partnerships with major food processing companies to source this material for its plants, which will be located in the Great Lakes region. The first plant will be located at a site yet to be determined in Wisconsin and will process materials from Sanimax's De Forest facility, among others. "This alliance completely aligns with what Sanimax has been doing since the 1800s: extending the food supply chain by transforming waste into high-demand goods and sustainable energy," said Jeremy Goodfellow, vice president of energy for Sanimax. "The positive environmental impact of this venture is significant."
"This partnership marks the coming-of-age of North America's biogas industry," said Ryan Little, vice president of business development for Ontario-based StormFisher. "In Europe, there are more than 5,000 plants like these in operation and, with Sanimax, we're ready to replicate that success here."
