Senator Mathews Champions Energy Facility For Becker Jobs
BECKER (WJON News) -- A bill has been introduced in the Minnesota Senate that would help preserve jobs in Becker.
Senator Andrew Mathews of Princeton says his bill would provide a grant to Liberty Diversified International to study and develop an energy generation facility in Becker. The money would come from the state's Renewable Development Account. This would give LDI several years to develop an alternative energy source before the Sherco plant closes at the end of 2030.
The study will look at developing an energy generation facility that converts food waste and other organic materials into renewable natural gas and other clean energy, replacing the waste steam that LDI currently recycles from the Sherco coal plant. The current system allows LDI to capture and reuse steam from Sherco for its paper operations, then return the steam back to Sherco, a partnership that has benefited both companies since 1995.
The President and CEO of Liberty Diversified International, Jim Morgan, says they employ about 150 people in Becker with an average salary of $90,000 a year. The company converts 1,000 tons a day of old corrugated containers, which then produces 800 tons of paper a day.
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