DNREC issues permits for an expansion of Bioenergy Devco’s Seaford facility.
DNREC approved five new permits for Bioenergy Devco to construct an anaerobic digestion system, a wastewater pre-treatment system, and a biogas upgrading plant.
Once the permits are issued by the different DNREC divisions, the company will be authorized by the state to start the construction phase with the project completed in 2025.
The expanded facility is expected to process about 250,000 tons of organic wastes from the poultry industry annually into stable compost replacing chemical fertilizers.
The biogas which is renewable natural gas will be produced and injected into Chesapeake Utilities pipelines to be used by Sussex County customers.
Bioenergy Devco CEO Shawn Kreloff in a statement says the Bioenergy Innovation Center will show how renewable energy resources can be harnessed from recycling organic waste.
The permits for the project faced opposition, including from Food & Water Watch. Tyler Lobdell is that group’s attorney
"Our main opposition is that this is a plant which is proposing to bring up to 250,000 tons per year of waste into a community and into an area that already can't handle the pollution burden it's already put under by the poultry industry, and so just the basics of that dynamic and that environmental injustice it's just not a project that we can support," said Lobdell.
Lobdell says a future challenge is not out of the question.
"We're certainly looking at all our options, and yes, there is the option for an appeal to the state appeals board," said Lobdell.
Lobdell argues there were a lot of potential threats to public health and the environment that weren’t adequately addressed in the application process.
