A first of its kind air quality permit in Arizona was issued Feb. 9 to Concord Blue Eagar, LLC (Concord) for a new facility in Apache County to produce renewable electricity and wood char using innovative processes. In record time for a class II permit, it took the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality only 85 days to complete the process from an administratively complete application to issuance, which gives the company authorization to construct and operate the facility. Located in rural Arizona, the new facility is expected to create more than 40 new jobs, 30 during construction and 12 full-time once operation begins, benefitting the local economy, community and the environment. According to Concord, the facility will process 75 tons per day of wood fuels to operate. “The Concord Blue facility in Eagar offers the potential to increase the market value for small diameter ponderosa pine stands that we need to thin in order to create fire adapted communities and resilient ecosystems in the forested regions of our state,” said the State Forester Jeff Whitney. Using a unique technology that heats wood to create a natural gas like fuel, Concord plans to generate electricity from materials collected during forest thinning operations, as well as community plant trimmings and sawmill wood debris. Applying this technology at its Eagar plant will produce one megawatt of electricity for Navopache Electric Co-Op Inc., as well as generate enough power to run the plant. “Concord’s plan to use wood from forest thinning would help foster healthy forests, reduce excess wood that could fuel larger forest fires, clean up unwanted wood debris and promote community safety,” ADEQ Director Misael Cabrera said. Concord Blue Vice President Project Management Scott Noll stated, “Throughout the permitting process, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality air permitting staff provided very helpful guidance regarding air dispersion modeling and did an excellent job expediting their review process once our full application was deemed complete.” Concord plans to begin operating the power plant by the end of 2016 and is working to secure the necessary wood fuel contracts. For more information about the Concord technology, go online to http://www.concordblueenergy.com/.