A local group working to bring alternative energy projects to the area toured a renewable fuels plant in Campbellsville, Ky., recently.

The tour came in the wake of an announcement of plans to open a similar plant in Mingo County. The alternative energy facility at the Harless Wood Products Industrial park. The plant will use waste material from wood products to create electricity. Tom Loehr, resident of American Clean Energy, explained the process to the Daily News.

“What is used is the wood waste that is usually left on the forest floor after the trees have been harvested,” Loehr said. “That material is chipped into 2-inches pieces, which is then burned to make electricity.”

The new facility will produce 28 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 28,000 homes, Loehr said.

American Electric Power submitted a request this year to buy 1,000 megawatts of renewable electricity, and Loehr wants his company to supply 28 megawatts of that to the power company.

Cox Waste-to-Energy cooperates with nearly 20 businesses to make use of the wood resources available in Kentucky. They donate wood ash to a company that makes mulch for gardens and provide wood shavings for the pet bedding at horse and chicken farms. In addition, Cox buys sawdust, slabs, and wooden pallets from local sawmills and manufacturers. Individuals can bring in untreated wood and provide a sustainable alternative to expensive dumps and landfills as well.

According to the JOBS Project, West Virginia has the potential to produce 5.4 billion kWh of electricity from biomass, which is enough to supply power to 543,000 average homes, or provide 61 percent of the state’s residential needs.

“Biomass is a valuable resource,” says Professor Jingxin Wang from the Division of Forestry and Natural Resources at West Virginia University. “The use of abundant wood-waste in southern West Virginia could promote local economic development.”