Biomass Plant in Dobbins Headed for Construction with Financing from Yuba Water, Will Fast-Track Forest Treatments to Reduce Wildfire Risk

(Yuba Water Agency) Construction of a 5-megawatt biomass plant near Dobbins in Yuba County can now move forward with the help of a $7 million grant and $8.3 million low-interest loan to the Camptonville Community Partnership approved today by Yuba Water Agency. The facility will process woody material from forest restoration projects in the Yuba River watershed, increasing the pace and scale of work to improve forest health and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

Biomass from a forest health treatment in the Yuba County foothills near Challenge.

“As we watch the destruction of the Park Fire in neighboring Butte County, we’re reminded of the very real threat of wildfire in our backyard and the importance of projects like this one to make our forests more resilient,” said Yuba Water General Manager Willie Whittlesey.

Currently, projects within Yuba County and the greater North Yuba River watershed require contractors to truck removed woody material from the forest to existing biomass plants that are several hours away or secure permits to burn the material on site. Having a biomass plant in Dobbins will not only reduce the cost of implementation for regional projects but will also bolster the local community with new jobs and business opportunities.

“Trucking wood chips and other materials from forest health treatment sites is costly, increases emissions and is rarely covered by state and federal grants that help fund these projects,” explained Yuba Water Watershed Manager JoAnna Lessard. “Having a local biomass plant to process these materials removes a huge barrier to scaling up forest health and wildfire risk reduction efforts in the region.”

Camptonville Community Partnership already owns the land where the biomass plant will be built and is close to finalizing an interconnection and power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas & Electric. Those agreements include plans to upgrade the electrical infrastructure to allow the biomass plant to connect to the grid once it’s built. Camptonville Community Partnership is partnering with Engeman Energy on construction and operations, with a goal of bringing the plant online by 2026.

Camptonville Community Partnership and Yuba Water are both part of the nine-member North Yuba Forest Partnership, which identified biomass processing and the lack of a local biomass facility as a key barrier to completing needed forest health treatments in the Yuba River watershed. The partnership is working on an unprecedented scale to restore 275,000 acres of Sierra Nevada forests to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

As the owner and operator of New Bullards Bar Dam and Reservoir and other critical facilities in the Yuba River watershed, Yuba Water leadership is keenly aware of the wildfire risks and has been a longtime supporter of the project, previously providing funding to help with planning and land acquisition. This latest round of funding will cover construction of the biomass plant, with a 20-year loan at a three percent interest rate. READ MORE