$2.5 Million for Our Katahdin in Millinocket Secured by Senator Collins in Funding Bill
Funding will be used for biomass-fueled power plant at former mill site
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $2,500,000 for Our Katahdin to build a biomass power plant in the Fiscal Year 2023 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill.
The omnibus funding package passed the Senate by a vote of 68-29. It will now be passed by the House before heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“The creation of the Commercialization Hub at the former paper mill site in Millinocket will create new employment opportunities and spur the development of innovative uses for forest products,” said Senator Collins. “This investment in a biomass-fueled power plant will supply One North with renewable energy, further strengthen Maine’s forest products industry, and encourage additional economic development in Millinocket.”
“We are deeply grateful for the support of Senator Susan Collins and for the investment in the region’s forest-products industry by the US Congress,” said Steve Sanders, One North’s Director of Industrial Development. “Energy generated from forest residuals in the Katahdin region will power next-generation industries on the former Great Northern Paper mill site, creating jobs and economic growth in our communities. The biomass plant is a fundamental infrastructure required for the continued development of the site. Without these funds, critical development projects at One North would not be possible. Senator Collins has been a champion for innovative, value-added usage of Maine’s forests, and this project illustrates her commitment to the future of a prosperous Katahdin region and the forest-products industry.”
The funding will support the installation of a highly efficient biomass-fueled power plant to generate electricity and provide thermal energy to the district heating system at the former Millinocket mill site. This renewable heat and power source will create a new use for Maine woody biomass and serve as a pilot program for a Maine technology that will demonstrate unparalleled efficiencies for a biomass system.
Our Katahdin–-a volunteer driven, nonprofit organization that is working to promote community and economic growth in the Katahdin region–is redeveloping the former Great Northern Paper mill site into a Commercialization Hub known as One North. The project will bring emerging, green technologies to commercial production scale, spurring new investments and creating new jobs
###
