Single Page | 
Multiple Pages
Home > BizTimes Daily > Archives > February 2, 2010
Company plans to develop large new energy plant in Milwaukee
Published February 2, 2010 - BizTimes Daily
Previous | 15 of 15
Milwaukee-based Alliance Federated Energy (AFE) announced plans today to build a 25-megawatt renewable energy project on the north side of Milwaukee.
The anticipated $225 million project will process municipal and industrial wastes into renewable energy using a process called plasma gasification. The gasification process exposes waste material to temperatures between 3,000 and 7,000 degrees Centigrade in an enclosed space, which captures all gases and vapors within the material.
The gases generated are cooled, scrubbed and refined – and are ultimately turned into a product called syngas that is burned to generate electricity.
“It takes the feed stock and breaks it down to its elemental form,” said Joshua Morby, a company spokesman. “What is now a waste stream will now be a fuel stream.”
AFE hopes to have its new facility open by 2013. Morby said the company now has an option on a 25-acre parcel on Milwaukee’s north side, but he would not disclose the exact location. The first phase of the project will be able to process about 1,200 tons of waste per day and generate enough energy to power as many as 20,000 homes.
The project, when operational, will have about 45 full time employees. AFE says it will generate about 250 jobs during the construction process.
The company is now in final negotiations with several Wisconsin-based institutional investors to fund construction of the project. It is also in discussions with city, state and federal officials about accessing public financing, Morby said.
AFE’s renewable energy plant will process municipal and industrial wastes that are not suitable for recycling, including industrial wastes including paint and fly ash. The plant will also be able to use household waste that is currently being placed into landfills.
“This commercially proven technology is the ultimate in recycling,” said Christopher Maloney, CEO of Alliance Federated Energy, “We are pleased to be building our first project right here in Wisconsin, a state committed to promoting environmental stewardship and technological innovation.”
