Wis. regulators approve utility's biomass plan

ASHLAND, Wis. (AP) - The Wisconsin Public Service Commission has approved a utility's latest plan to replace coal and use logging residue and dead trees as the primary fuel to generate electricity.

Northern States Power Company-Wisconsin said Monday that installing the biomass gasification technology in its third operating unit at Bay Front Power Plant in Ashland will make it the largest biomass plant in the Midwest.

The utility now has two operating units powered by wood products and says the cost of converting the third by 2012 is estimated at $58.1 million.

The power company says the Bay Front project demonstrates the utility's commitment to the environment and a clean-energy future.

The company says wood materials left in forests following traditional logging will be the primary fuel to produce steam for the third generator.