What the Governor’s Talking about
Today
Thursday, October 21,
2010
Governor Says
Partnership with Sweden Fueling Growth of Michigan’s Bio-Economy, Job
Creation
The governor today announced that Swedish Biogas
International AB is exploring the development of a second facility in Michigan to produce
renewable energy from municipal and agricultural waste. She made the
announcement as part of her Swedish investment mission following a reception
with company and government leaders at the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm.
The Swedish Biogas facility
in Flint, one of Michigan’s first Centers of Energy Excellence, was
initiated in 2008 and involves collaboration with Linköping University in Sweden, Kettering University and the city of Flint to convert wastes
from the city’s wastewater treatment plant into bio-based energy.
The scope of the project in Flint was expanded this
year to include co-digestion of agricultural waste, increasing the overall
biogas potential. The biogas produced at this plant will be used to
generate electricity and will open the door for biofuel in the form of
biomethane in the near future. Additionally, Swedish Biogas chose to make
the new Innovation Center at Kettering University its North American
headquarters, setting the stage for Flint to be the launching point for
expanding the use of this technology throughout Michigan and North America.
Swedish Biogas is currently conducting an engineering
study for a co-digestion project at Reed City’s municipal wastewater treatment
plant. The project has potential to generate biogas for the purpose of
producing affordable electricity and expanding the capacity of the wastewater
treatment plant. The General Mills Yoplait plant in Reed City, one of the largest yogurt plants in
the world, is in discussions with the company and may provide feed sources for
the digester.
Key
messages:
- Companies like
Swedish Biogas International are transforming Michigan into the clean energy capital of North America. This is part of our aggressive
strategy to diversify Michigan’s economy and expand our state’s
clean energy capabilities to create jobs and reduce our nation’s dependence on
imported oil.
- We have
opportunities to produce renewable energy from waste and promote the growth of
our agricultural-based businesses. The Michigan-Sweden collaboration has
made these opportunities possible, building on Sweden’s recognized international
leadership in clean energy and decades of experience in biogas
production.
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