Taylor Made

Jim Taylor (left) with Sen. Charles Schumer D-N.Y.
 on Dec. 6, 2010. Courtesy: MIDHUDSONEWS.CO

The construction on Taylor Biomass Energy’s 20-megawatt  biomass gasification plant in Montgomery, N.Y. is a project that has been over a decade in the making for company president and CEO Jim Taylor.

Taylor, who owns and operates Taylor Recycling, has been looking for a way to expand its capabilities. Running a gasification plant next door allows Taylor to process wood waste, C&D waste and MSW – enough to power approximately 27,000 homes in New York.

With the help of a $100 million loan guarantee from the U.S. DOE, pending due diligence, and the ability to utilize a 30 percent federal grant (Recovery Act, 1603), Taylor and his team were able to break ground on their vision on Dec. 6, 2010.

Biomass Magazine reports that start-up and commissioning of the facility is slated for the last quarter of 2012. Although an article from The Times Herald-Democrat written in late 2005 discusses Taylor’s plan to build gasifiers on 20 different locations, there is currently no information on the gasification system on the Taylor Biomass Energy website (www. taylorrecycling.com).

Building the first on his own site solves the problem of “who wants to go first.” With a $50 million price tag, investors want to see results before they lay out the funds.

“The pressure’s on to get one of these up and running,” Taylor is quoted in the Times Herald-Democrat article originally published on Oct. 2, 2005. “It’ll be a huge success when we get this first one operating.”

Taylor, who has been a large player in the movement to dispose of all the debris that was left over from the 9/11 attack, has been in communication with influential members of the New Orleans community about building a gasification plant down South to help expedite the Hurricane Katrina cleanup.

But of course, it all depends on getting the first one up and operating. Better BTU is interested, and will continue to bring you updates.