Wisconsin Ag Connection - Seminar to Focus on Anaerobic Digester Requests

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Seminar to Focus on Anaerobic Digester Requests
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 01/20/2017

Wisconsin Agriculture Secretary Ben Brancel is encouraging farmers to attend a seminar next month to learn more about the Request for Proposals for a manure biodigester system. The forum, which is being organized by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, will be held on February 1 at 9:30 a.m. at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Alumni Welcome & Conference Center.

"The seminar will be an excellent networking opportunity for farmers who have questions about the RFP," Brancel said. "Being able to meet one-on-one with the businesses looking to create a consortium and invest in the project and learn how their farming operation might benefit from participating as well as knowing the challenges will assist in the decision making process."

In an effort to improve water quality, Gov. Scott Walker asked the PSC, DATCP, and DNR to partner and seek solutions through a request for proposals late last year. The collaboration resulted in a request for businesses and farmers to build, operate, and maintain manure treatment systems to produce renewable energy in the form of biogas and incorporate a system for treating wastewater that will capture nutrients and reduce pathogens.

To make this public-private project possible, the Public Service Commission authorized Focus on Energy to spend up to $20 million for integrated anaerobic digester projects that meet Focus on Energy eligibility requirements.

The RFP is available on the homepage of the Public Service Commission or http://psc.wi.gov/biogas/rfp.htm.

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