Portland General Electric is considering giant cane as a possible future energy source for its coal-fired Boardman power plant.
Portland General Electric is considering giant cane as a possible future energy source for its coal-fired Boardman power plant.
The cane could allow PGE to keep its plant in operation past 2020, when the company has agreed to stop burning coal there. And it will reduce the utility’s carbon footprint by transforming the 585 megawatt plant from an emitter of greenhouse gases to carbon-neutral.
But Hermiston-area growers question whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks and are concerned over transferring thousands of food-producing acres to energy use.
“Growers are concerned,” said Oregon State University agronomist Don Horneck. “This is the breadbasket of Oregon. You’re pushing out crops that literally feed the world.”
The project would require converting between 60,000 and 90,000 irrigated acres from food or feed production to cane production, according to PGE projections.
Read more at Capital Press.
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