(NOVEC Site)

NORTHERN VIRGINIA – The Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative marked progress made at its NOVEC Energy Production, Halifax County Biomass plant on Nov. 17, 2011, at the Halifax Country Club, in Halifax, Va. The gathering of 85 workers, guests and dignitaries heard from United States Deputy Agriculture Undersecretary for Rural Development Doug O’Brien; Virginia Delegate James Edmunds II; South Boston Vice Mayor Edward Owens; Halifax County Board Chairman Thomas West; Executive Director Mike Sexton, Halifax Industrial Development Authority; as well as NOVEC President/CEO Stan Feuerberg.

Sexton expressed his gratitude to NOVEC and its development partner, NOVI Energy, for bringing jobs to the County. He said, “There will be a lot of people thankful for having jobs this Thanksgiving because of the plant.”

Fagen, Inc., the general contractor for the biomass project, has more than 100 workers currently on site and they expect to hire a construction workforce of 250 to 300 workers as the plant proceeds. Once completed in 2013, 26 full-time workers will be hired to run the plant, which will generate almost 50 megawatts of electricity for NOVEC customers.

In addition to bringing jobs to the Southside region, the project will bring Halifax County approximately $600,000 annually in property taxes.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced in October 2011 that the Rural Utility Service would loan NOVEC $90 million to build the plant. The money will come from the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). He said, “It’s a pretty exciting opportunity for several hundred jobs to be created immediately and provide renewable energy.”

Deputy Undersecretary O’Brien said on Nov. 17, “The Obama Administration is assisting cooperatives, small businesses, farmers and ranchers, as they work to reduce their energy costs. When energy costs are reduced, American rural businesses become more competitive, allowing them to expand and create jobs.”

Halifax Delegate Edmunds stressed that the Southside region needs jobs.

Feuerberg explained that the plant will burn wood leftover from the region’s logging industries to create electricity. He noted that forestry consultants have determined that there is an abundance of wood waste within a 75-mile radius of the facility.

NOVEC will own the plant, which will generate up to 6.5 percent of the Co-op’s energy requirements by 2014 — enough to serve the equivalent of approximately 16,000 residential customers.

NOVEC is a not-for-profit corporation that distributes electricity and energy services to more than 145,000 customers in Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Stafford and Clarke counties, and the City of Manassas Park, making it one of the largest electric distribution cooperatives in the nation. For more information, visit www.novec.com or call 703-335-0500 or 1-888-335-0500.

Directors of the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority heard an update Friday on progress at the NOVI project, located at the site of the former Georgia Pacific property.

Plans for the 49.9 megawatt wood-fired electrical plant, owned and operated by Michigan-based NOVI Energy and its utility partner Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative, are now progressing. Employment during the two-year construction period is estimated at some 250 jobs.

When completed, the plant is expected to employ 26 full-time workers while creating another 67 field jobs. The plant will burn some 600,000 tons of wood annually, valued at $12 million with its “economic effect expected to ripple across the community,” said IDA Director Mike Sexton.

Officials with the company are now occupying three offices at the Energy Center in Riverstone Technology Building, but are expected to move very soon to the three trailers which are located at the plant site as work begins.

In other reports, Dr. Doug Corrigan, director of the Energy Center, advised that the flatline equipment provided by Superfici was installed at the C-Care facility in the Energy Center on time. When training on the equipment is completed on September 12, operations will begin on the wood finishing project. It is being carried out by the American Wood Finishing Institute, which has a five year lease.

Corrigan said five families will soon be moving into the community to work on the project, with a total of about 20 expected long term. One family, he said, already has purchased a home in the area.

IDA directors also approved an application for up to $600,000 in funds to join with the Town of Halifax in renovating the old Burlington plant, located on Cowford Road in Halifax.

The resolution notes that the General Assembly has allocated $3 million for FY12 to be used for the redevelopment of vacant and deteriorated industrial properties throughout the state. The old Burlington plant, built in 1946 in the Town of Halifax, is considered an important economic development parcel for business development and new employment opportunities, offering rail and natural gas access.

The resolution calls for the Halifax County Board of Supervisors to designate the IDA to make the application and to support a separate application for at least the same amount from the Tobacco Commission’s Southside Economic Development allocation for Halifax County.

Earlier in their meeting, directors honored former IDA board member Bill Kelehar with a framed resolution of appreciation for his five years of service, noting the many projects that have been undertaken during his tenure. Those included the purchase of the Day site and the FlextTec building, the NOVI project, site development of Riverstone Technology Park, the rehab of the former Daystrom property, the location of the call center in Riverstone, the grand opening of Lindstand USA and VIPER at VIR, and the AVID location at Riverstone as well as the hiring of Mike Sexton as Executive Director.

During Kelehar’s tenure, Marriott held its groundbreaking ceremony for Fairfield Inn and ABB expanded, as have Presto, ABB and Lasco.

Directors also recognized Cynthia King, who is the new operations manager for the IDA. She is taking over from Kristy Johnson who leaves the post Sept. 1. King, who last worked for Verizon in their Roanoke office, said she is excited about her new job. She lives in Gretna and was a former clerk with the Pittsylvania County Corrections department.

FREMONT, MI - “Michigan’s first large-scale commercial anaerobic digester”-that is what U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) proudly labeled the Fremont Community Digester (FCD) at its official ground breaking ceremony on a cloudy and cool Friday afternoon, June 24.

Fremont’s mayor James Rynberg went even further, calling the project due to be completed in the summer of 2012 the “nation’s first”.

Regardless of which structures in their planning phases now, ultimately wins the “race” to the finish line and day one of operations, the rural city of Fremont MI, famous for its Gerber baby food, is justifiably proud of the role it will play in converting ag and food waste into energy.

USDA State Director James Turner said, “On behalf of the President and Ag Secretary Vilsack, I thank your team of visionaries and investors for their courage. We are pleased to be your partner,” he added, referring to the $12.8 million loan guarantee secured in large part by the persistence of Sen. Stabenow at the federal level. “This is a great day for Fremont, and a great day for the Unites States.”

Anand Gangadharan, president of project developer Novi Energy in Novi, MI, agreed, calling the USDA loan guarantee the “linchpin that achieved financial closure” to the FCD project. He introduced Sen. Stabenow and praised her “tireless efforts over 5-6 years, her steady level of support. She made me feel welcome in Washington, gave me entry to offices, got me in touch with the right people.”

The head of Novi Energy said that even though the project had suffered ups and downs – even on life support for a bit – that “this is a good thing from the community perspective, and the state, and it makes business sense.” He thanked his family, the Novi Energy team, the implementation team in place, the construction effort, the City of Fremont, the Newaygo County Rural Development, the local Gerber/Nestle family of companies, Consumers Energy, North Central Cooperative, Indus Energy, and Comerica Bank.

Sen. Stabenow explained the digester process in a nutshell: 100,000 tons of food waste per year, instead of taking up space in a landfill, will be converted into 3 megawatts of renewable energy, with bi-products of liquid plant nutrients and compost.

The technology application has been successfully operated in Europe (started in Denmark) for the past two decades.

She said, “We grow things in Michigan – let’s MAKE this HERE! We need to build our agricultural legacy; we need to bring innovation, support rural quality of life, which is a high priority in the next Farm Bill,” referring to the position she has as Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

“We’re on the map,” she declared. “This is one more step in creating our own energy.”

Project investment is approximately $22 million. A 20-year power sales contract has been signed with Consumers Energy and approved by the MI Public Service Commission.

Organic waste feedstock supply contracts are signed with Gerber and five other major regional businesses. Compost and fertilizer generated will be marketed by North Central Cooperative of Fremont.

Architect-Engineer/Constructor is HGA/DeMaria Building Company of southeast Michigan. The FCD project will provide 40 construction jobs, and 6-8 full time equivalent operating jobs.

FCD’s majority owner is INDUS Energy, LLC, an investment group located in Bingham Farms, MI. Managing member is NE Biofuels LLC of Novi. North Central Cooperative of Wabash IN (Fremont Co-Op recently merged with NCC) is a minority owner. Comerica Bank is providing debt financing with the backing of the USDA guarantee already mentioned.

Arvin Shah of INDUS Energy beamed, “This is a great day! FCD will be a template for other projects coming up-it will be a cookie cutter for others planned.”

Rob Zeldenrust, NCC Senior Manager from Fremont, joined Sen. Stabenow in thanking her long-time aide, Mary Judnich.

“Her friendship and representing Debbie here locally has been a huge help.”

Rob talked about how fertilizer for U.S. crops now comes from Canada, Russia, and the Middle East, and that biodigesters will open the door to less reliance on foreign sources.

Novi Energy, which provides energy consulting, management, and infrastructure project development for utility, industrial, institutional, and commercial clients across the U.S. and the world, is working to develop other such anaerobic digester/power projects in the Midwestern U.S.

 Michigan always has unpredictable weather, and Friday’s was exactly what one would expect – unexpected.  I’m sure when they scheduled the groundbreaking for the Fremont community anaerobic digester, NOVI Energy assumed that late June would see warm weather and clear skies.  Instead, the temperature was in the low 60s with scattered rain. This is no doubt why NOVI Energy also put up two large tents. Weather aside, the groundbreaking event was a huge success.

USDA Rural Development State Director for Michigan James J. Turner joined Senator Debbie Stabenow, chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and local officials in celebrating the new facility.

Anaerobic digesters are not new in Michigan – many farms have them and USDA Rural Development has taken a leading role in funding them.  What sets Fremont apart is the scale – it will take in the waste of an entire community and the electricity and byproducts it generates will likewise be provided on a wider basis.

The project will be one of the first commercial-scale anaerobic digesters in the United States and will convert organic waste products – including farm and food processing waste – into biogas which is used to generate electricity.  The facility will process more than 100,000 tons of waste annually, reducing landfill usage and improving the quality of agricultural runoff.  In addition, the solid byproducts can be used for soil amendments and cow bedding.

USDA provided a loan guarantee to finance the project, which has a total cost of $22 million.

“Fremont Community Digester is demonstrating firsthand the important role West Michigan agriculture plays in developing new clean energy alternatives, which will create new jobs and protect our environment,” said Senator Stabenow.

More than 120 people were at the event, showing just how investing the community and region is in this exciting new project.

To learn more about USDA renewable energy programs, click here.

FREMONT, Mich., June 24, 2011 – Consumers Energy has contracted to purchase the total renewable energy output produced by the Fremont Community Digester (FCD), which held a ground breaking ceremony today in Fremont.

“This is the first time that Consumers Energy will be buying renewable energy from fuel produced by processed food waste.  This innovative facility is another sign that Michigan’s energy reform law is working by driving investment in renewable energy projects,” said David Ronk, the utility’s director of transactions and resource planning.

The $22 million digester and electric generator is being built by NOVI Energy, Indus Energy and North Central Cooperative, and is expected to begin commercial operation in the summer of 2012.  Agricultural waste products for the FCD will be supplied by Gerber Products, Fremont Cooperative Produce Company and other area agricultural companies.

Consumers Energy will purchase approximately 380,000 megawatt-hours (MWh), or 19,000 MWh per year, of electricity from the FCD over the next 20 years at a cost of $55 million.  The FCD’s electric output is estimated at 3.1 megawatts.

Consumers Energy is moving forward with its renewable energy plan to have  10 percent of the power provided to its 1.8 million customers by 2015 come from Michigan renewable energy projects, as required by the state’s energy reform law.  Consumers Energy is Michigan’s leading supplier of renewable energy.  Currently, about 5 percent of the electricity supplied to the utility’s customers comes from renewable sources.

Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE:  CMS), provides natural gas and electricity to 6.8 million of Michigan’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

For more information about Consumers Energy, visit our Website at www.consumersenergy.com

Media Contacts:

Consumers Energy: Dan Bishop, 517.788.2395 or Jeff Holyfield, 517.788.2394
NOVI Energy media contact: Kelly Farr, 248.735.NOVI (6684) x 24, kfarr@novienergy.com

FREMONT, Michigan, June 24, 2011 – “Fremont Community Digester is demonstrating firsthand the important role West Michigan agriculture plays in developing new clean energy alternatives, which will create new jobs and protect our environment,” said U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, to a group of Fremont community supporters and government officials as they broke ground today on the $22 million Fremont Community Digester power plant.

NOVI Energy is developing and managing the 3-megawatt Fremont Community Digester (FCD), which will convert approximately 100,000 tons per year of agricultural waste into electricity, fertilizer and compost for West Michigan area farms.  Senator Stabenow was joined by State Representative Jon Bumstead (R-Newaygo), U.S. Department of Agriculture State Director James Turner, INDUS Energy representative Arvin Shah, North Central Cooperative Senior Manager Rob Zeldenrust and NOVI Energy President Anand Gangadharan, in turning the ceremonial first shovels of dirt for construction of the project, which is scheduled to begin commercial operation in summer 2012.  It is one of the first large-scale anaerobic digesters using co-digestion to be built in the United States.

“This project is a prime example of how agriculture, business and the community can come together to create jobs, improve the environment and manufacture green electricity for decades to come,” said Mr. Gangadharan.  “Equally important, the support at all levels of government, and in particular Senator Stabenow, has been critical in making an innovative, alternative energy project like Fremont Community Digester a reality.”

NOVI Energy closed financing and hired construction contractor DeMaria Building Co. in May.  More than 150 community leaders, government officials, investors and NOVI Energy employees celebrated the start of NOVI Energy’s largest energy infrastructure project to date.

“The City of Fremont welcomes the Fremont Community Digester.  This is a good example of how an entrepreneurial company like NOVI Energy can work with the agricultural community and government to come up with a project that will benefit the community,” said Fremont Mayor James Rynberg.

Representative Bumstead of Michigan’s 100th District said the project will enhance the environment by turning agriculture waste into energy and fertilizer.  “The Fremont Community Digester will generate green electricity for Consumers Energy and help our environment in the process.  We need more innovative investments like this,” said Rep. Bumstead.

FCD will sell its electric output to Consumers Energy under a long term contract that has been approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission.  The project also has signed feedstock supply contracts with Fremont-based Gerber Products Company and several other major regional food processors and agricultural operations.  NOVI Energy is working to develop other such anaerobic digester/power projects in the Midwestern United States.

Fremont Community Digester’s majority owner is INDUS Energy, LLC, an investment group located in Bingham Farms, MI.  North Central Cooperative of Wabash, IN is a minority owner and will market the plant’s fertilizer and compost.  Comerica Bank is providing debt financing for the project with the backing of a debt guaranty awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under its 9003 Biorefinery Assistance Program.

NOVI Energy is an entrepreneurial company that provides a broad range of services in energy consulting, energy management and energy infrastructure project development for utility, industrial, institutional and commercial clients across the United States and the world.

SBE will process as much as 600,000 tons of waste wood annually into renewable electric energy. An independent fuel study was completed, with the results indicating an abundance of waste wood available within a 75-mile radius of the facility from both regional logging operations and manufacturing facilities associated with the forest products industry.

Power from the project will be placed into the regional transmission system at the local Dominion Virginia Power substation or nearby transmission lines and will be purchased for use by the customer-owners of Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC).

By JOSEPH SZCZESNY
For Journal Register Newspapers

Novi Energy LLC has lined up financing for a  Mich­igan plant capable of producing methane and organic fertilizer from waste.

Anand Gangadharan, president and CEO of Novi Energy, said the Fremont Community Digester is scheduled to begin commercial operation in 2012.

The Fremont plant owned by Novi Energy is one of the first large-scale anaerobic digesters in the United States, said Gangadharan, who started his company as a consulting firm nine years ago, but plans to build as many as 10 commercial plants to process food waste.

“This project will help the West Michigan regional economy by adding investment, jobs and taxes locally, bringing together industrial and agricultural interests and adding reliable, renewable electricity to Michi­gan’s electric grid,” Gangad­haran said, adding he has licensed the technology from its Danish inventor.

The digester can be the first of many such projects, addressing environmental concerns,” he said.

The $22-million project will process approximately 100,000 tons per year of both organic and agricultural waste into “green” biogas, which will be used to generate about 3 megawatts of renewable electricity.

The power will be sold to Consumers Energy on long-term contract. The plant also will produce dilute liquid fertilizer and compost for purchase by regional agricultural businesses, he said.

In addition, the Fremont digester will reduce organic waste sent to landfills near feedstock suppliers, improve sustainability of area farms and improve the environmental quality of runoff water in the area.

The project has signed feedstock supply contracts with Gerber Products Co. and several other major regional food processors and agricultural operations. Supplying organic waste to the digester can be a key component of an organization’s zero-landfill strategy.

The plant’s majority owner is INDUS Energy LLC, a Bingham Farms-based investment group. North Central Cooperative of Wabash, Ind., is a minority owner and will market the plant’s fertilizer.

Comerica Bank is providing debt financing for the project with the backing of a debt guaranty awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under its 9003 Biorefinery Assistance Program.

As an entry-level Engineer, you would be joining NOVI Energy, a fast growing energy infrastructure development and energy consulting company.  NOVI Energy provides a full scope of energy management services and develops and implements a broad range of energy projects from renewable energy generation and advanced energy technology applications to traditional cogeneration, steam plants, heating and cooling facilities, power conditioning systems and energy storage systems.

This position, which will include working with and supporting the project team in energy infrastructure projects, particularly small scale energy generation and combined heat and power projects.  Work will include development support, conceptual planning and full implementation, while achieving cost and schedule performance and ensuring client satisfaction.  The candidate will have to perform energy balance calculations during development phase of the project. More specifically, the individual in this position will assist the team to plan, schedule, contract, and conduct and coordinate detailed phases of engineering, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning work for various energy projects. This position will also involve participation in comprehensive team energy audits of major industrial facilities.  The candidate will have opportunity to learn and work with new energy technologies. This position requires travel as dictated by project work.

Candidate Qualifications

• Required:  Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering
• Required:  0-3 years of relevant experience in the energy industry
• EIT (Engineer in Training)
• Excellent communications skills, both oral and written; strong interpersonal skills
• The demonstrated ability to perform multiple tasks concurrently

We offer a highly attractive compensation and benefits package, including annual performance bonus, a 401 (k) Plan, and a medical, dental and vision plan.  You may e-mail or mail/fax your application to:

We are an equal opportunity employer with a drug-free, non-smoking work place. Our employees know about this opportunity.   No telephone calls please.