The biomass-fueled district heating system under consideration for selected county, city and commercial buildings in Grand Marais will be the focus of a community discussion at 7 p.m. Thursday, December 12 at the Cook County Community Center.
FVB Energy Inc. President Mark Spurr will present details of the design, construction and operation of the proposed facility and outline the business plan being developed.
This is an interim report, to be followed by a final report scheduled for delivery at the end of January.
The overall project, funded by the Cook County Board of Commissioners with 1 percent recreation and infrastructure sales tax revenue, consists of two steps. The first step, completed in March, included a market assessment of the actual customer base, a technical concept of the plant and infrastructure, and drafting of a business plan.
Based on the work of Step 1, the county board and City of Grand Marais elected to move forward with Step 2, which is development of a schematic design and layout of the facility, detailed site surveys, design of the piping distribution system, and a final business plan.
The Cook County Local Energy Project (CCLEP), which requested the funding, is coordinating the project.
FVB Energy Inc. has played a major role in the growth of the district energy industry, providing consulting services for many district heating and cooling systems developed or under development in North America since 1990.
This meeting is for the benefit of Grand Marais residents and any community members who have questions or concerns they would like addressed. For more information, contact George Wilkes (gwilkes@boreal.org), Paul Nelson (hollylake@hughes.net) or Gary Atwood (biomass@boreal.org).
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