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The University of Maine could save millions of dollars in energy costs over a 20-year period if an anticipated grant request to fund a deal between the university, the city of Old Town and Casella Waste Systems is accepted. The grant would result in the construction of a methane pipeline between Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town and the university’s Steam Plant.
A statement released Monday by university spokesman Joe Carr stated that the natural methane gas produced at the landfill could be transferred via pipeline to the central steam plant on College Avenue. The methane would act as a renewable energy source for the university and has the potential to replace the fossil fuels currently burned in the plant’s steam boilers, the statement said.
Old Town Council President David Mahan said the deal has not yet been finalized and that an article printed in the Bangor Daily News on Tuesday was published sooner than expected.
“It’s premature at this point,” he said. “There is no official deal.”
According to the Bangor Daily News, the grant application, filed Dec. 13, requests $3 million in order to construct the 6-mile gas pipeline.
Peggy Daigle, Old Town city manager, agreed that the project is still pending and could change at any point before all negotiations are completed.
“We had written the grant with the seller to apply for funding,” she said. “It eventually got out [to the public], and it was just generally a matter of time.”
According to the university’s statement, Casella currently burns the Juniper Ridge methane on-site, which Daigle said has been a hindrance for Old Town.
“[The deal] provides the city with a potential solution to an issue that’s going to be ongoing,” Daigle said.
Daigle said she is confident the proposed strategy will benefit the university.
“It is an environmentally sound solution,” Daigle said on Tuesday. “It will preserve a number of entities. We are hoping for a successful conclusion.”
Chuck Spalding, the Steam Plant’s superintendent, said the plant’s equipment would undergo changes if the project were finalized.
“What we would probably do would be to put a different boiler in that would have the ability to burn landfill or natural gas,” Spalding said.
The two smallest of the Steam Plant’s five boilers produce 30,000 pounds of steam per hour, while the other three produce 64,000 pounds per hour.
Spaulding said the smaller boilers were built in 1946 and would be the first to be replaced.
Dan Curren, the Steam Plant’s supervisor, agreed the boilers would require a transformation.
“It’s going to have to do with the quality of the gas and cleaners and compressor,” he said. “We would have to change some burners at least, if not get a totally new system.”
The university’s work with the Juniper Ridge Landfill, Old Town and Casella is part of its strategy to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, according to Carr’s statement. Other programs involve energy conservation, recycling and economical energy procurement.
Bangor Daily News