FORKS — U.S. Bioenergy Corp.’s top official confirmed Friday that the company is strongly considering building one of its patented, self-sustaining mills in the Forks area.
But Roland O. Fjallstrom — chief operating officer for the Montana-based company — also stressed that it will take 30 to 45 more days before a final decision is reached.
“We are still very much looking at the North Olympic Peninsula to build a mill,” Fjallstrom said from Montana on Friday.
“It is very much an option.”
In February, Fjallstrom and two company executives spent several days visiting sites and officials on the North Olympic Peninsula, including Forks.
They were looking particularly at appropriate places to build a cogeneration mill that would transform “valueless” forest waste — like small branches useless to the timber industry — into wood planks used primarily for new homes.
Self-sustaining mill
According to the company’s patent for a cogeneration mill — one of only two that have been granted in the United States, according to officials — the smallest forest waste would be transformed into biomass energy from which intense steam would run the mill.
While these kinds of cogeneration mills are common in Europe, U.S. Bioenergy Corp. would be one of the first companies to build one in this country.
Fjallstrom said company officials are currently considering building possibly two mills in the state and are looking at two potential sites — one in the Forks area and another in Eastern Washington.
Each cogeneration mill would require an investment of $70 million to $100 million.
“We haven’t come across anything yet that has told us we shouldn’t locate one of our facilities [in the Forks area,]” Fjallstrom said.
“But we’re still looking.”