(Photo courtesy of Mt. Bachelor)
On Tuesday, November 12, Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort hosted the grand opening and ribbon cutting of their new Wood Fuel Energy Facility. Located in the West Village base area, the facility is a high-efficiency biomass system that is designed to transform wood byproducts from U.S. Forest Service–approved forest restoration and wildfire mitigation projects in the Deschutes National Forest into renewable heat for several of the resort’s base-area buildings and snowmelt systems, including the West Village Lodge, Ski Patrol, Mountain Gateway, Todd Lake and the Admin Building.
The project is a big step for the resort towards replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy. The facility is expected to reduce reliance on propane for heating by upwards of 90 percent, and replace that fuel with a completely sustainable source that the region has in excess.
Routine forest restoration and wildfire mitigation projects in the Deschutes National Forest produce very large quantities of woody material that is typically piled and burned. Even with the facility running at max, the fuel cost is tiny compared to the supply; regional supply studies estimate that the surrounding region produces more than 100 times the needed material on a yearly basis.
Biomass is diverted to the facility and fired in a high-efficiency boiler with advanced emission controls, cutting carbon emissions and particulates from open burning. The only thing rising out of the chimney of this facility is water vapor, not smoke.
The project has been made possible through collaboration among a wide range of local, state, regional, and federal partners, including contractors, consultants, public agencies, and community leaders. Mt. Bachelor leadership wanted to provide a special thanks to the following partners, who they say were instrumental in bringing this project to life: The U.S. Forest Service, The Oregon Department of Energy, Deschutes County, Wisewood Energy, Kirby Naeglehout Construction, Republic Services, Mt. Bachelor’s Base Operations teams and POWDR.
At the ribbon cutting, a host of local leadership shared a few words and thanked the community for their efforts, including Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang, and Gavin Coble, the Central Oregon Field Representative of the recently re-elected US Senator Jeff Merkley.
In the statement shared by Coble, Merkley called the facility a “major investment to support hazardous fuels reduction, and help reduce wildfires, right here in bend, and across the region.”
Continuing, he said, “As one of the most advanced wood energy systems operating at a ski resort in the United States, this facility serves as a model for future installations nationwide. It’s a powerful example of what can be achieved when local communities, state and federal agencies, and private partners work together to address a shared challenge.”
