11 May, 2011
Public hearings for Montes del Plata`s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
Montes del Plata held public hearings on April 11 and 12 as part of the admission process of its renewable resource electric power surplus project in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
Montes del Plata`s Clean Development Mechanism project involves the creation of a power surplus in comparison to conventional pulp mills, with sufficient power for 200,000 homes. The energy surplus would be produced the black liquor obtained during the pulp manufacturing process and biomass residues, which are 100% renewable.
Meetings were held in a highly favorable climate and were attended by approximately 60 people in Montevideo and 80 people in Colonia del Sacramento. Most attendees were professionals, officials, consultants and media Colonia and Conchillas who had the opportunity to provide their views regarding the topic and to ask questions about the project.
The hearings included explanations regarding climate change and the technical specifications of Montes del Plata`s project, which applied for Clean Development Mechanism status and would lead to a contribution to the country`s sustainable development.
The project contributes to the diversification of Uruguay`s power structure by incorporating a new source of energy, decreasing dependency on oil and favoring currency savings, while contributing to a reduction of environmental impacts created by burning fossil fuels.
Positive effects on the environment include a 311,000 ton decrease in the creation of CO2 greenhouse gases per year. Likewise, the project prevents the creation of other gases, such as methane which would be generated by biomass decomposition if it were not used to create power.
A reduction of CO2 emissions would be the equivalent of eliminating 400,000 cars travelling 18,000 km per year. Montes del Plata is currently drawing up the necessary documents to obtain the National Approval Letter and start a validation process by an independent organization designated by the Executive Board of the CDM. Approximate power consumed by the pulp mill. 90-110 MW Approximate power generation. 165 MW Approximate excess power. 55-75 MW
