An alfalfa producers co-op is considering a plant site at Granite Falls, about 240 kilometres west of Minneapolis.
The plant will use already established gasification technology. Stems are rapidly heated to almost 900 C, instantly producing a gas.
The plant will produce 75 megawatts of power per year, a drop in the bucket compared to one of the utility’s nuclear reactors, which pumps out 1,200 megawatts.
The co-op will own 51 percent of the plant, with corporate investors and government helping out with the rest of the project, estimated to cost more than $200 million.
