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Power company performs biofuel test burn at Bartow power plant

As part of Progress Energy Florida’s continuing commitment to developing alternative and renewable energy resources, the company recently conducted a successful test burn of New Generation Biofuels’ proprietary biofuel at the Bartow plant.

Biofuel is fuel derived from carbon sources such as wood waste, canes, palm oil, soybeans, algae, animal waste, food byproducts or agricultural waste.

The trial involved burning the biofuel to evaluate its technical and environmental performance in a utility boiler.

Preliminary results from the trial were positive.

This testing is important to determine the fuel’s potential for use as part of Progress Energy’s renewable energy portfolio.

“Progress Energy is committed to providing our customers clean, affordable and reliable power, both now and in the future,” said Rob Caldwell, vice president of Efficiency and Innovative Technology for Progress Energy. “Renewable energy – such as that produced by biofuels – is an important part of our balanced solution to meet our customers’ energy needs while reducing our dependency on fossil fuels and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.”

“We are pleased to be working with Progress Energy as we demonstrate our second generation biofuel in boiler applications,” said New Generation Biofuels’ President and CEO David A. Gillespie. “Progress Energy is taking a leadership role and we look forward to continuing to develop our relationship, bringing low-cost, environmentally friendly renewable energy to the state of Florida.”

The trial was led by Progress Energy’s Strategic Engineering section and included representatives from New Generation Bio-fuels and the University of Florida’s Integrated Product and Process Design (IPPD) program.

The researchers involved in the trial are currently reviewing the data collected during the test burn.

Additional biofuel research may include a larger scale boiler test and/or small scale, laboratory testing.

In addition to the biofuel test program, the Bartow plant is nearing completion of a major project to update it with state-of-the-art technology to change the plant’s primary fuel source from fuel oil to more efficient natural gas-burning technology, which will more than double the amount of electricity the plant produces, improve reliability and significantly reduce plant air emissions.

Progress Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), provides electricity and related

services to more than 1.6 million customers in Florida. The company is headquartered in St. Petersburg, and serves a territory encompassing more than 20,000 square miles including the cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater, as well as the Central Florida area surrounding Orlando. Progress Energy Florida is pursuing a balanced strategy for a secure energy future.

That balance includes aggressive energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system.

For more information about Progress Energy, visit the company’s web site at www.progress-energy.com.