using sea buckthorn, caragana, China to get first biomass plant
Inner Mongolia plant expected to generate 150 million kWh per year using the native shrubs.
China's Baotou Kaidi Sunshine Energy Investment announced the plans for the country's first biomass plant to be powered by the native shrubs of hippophae rhamnoides and caragana.
And Baotou Kaidi is expected to spend RMB 1 billion ($147 million) to build the plant in Damao Banner, a section of Baotou, which is the largest city (also an important city in China) in Inner Mongolia.
The biomass plant is expected to generate 150 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year by consuming 130,000 tons of hippophae rhamnoides and caragana. The plants are expected to replace 80,000 tons of coal annually.
Hippophae rhamnoides, which is more commonly known as sea buckthorn, is a rugged plant that reaches maturity in about four to five years. It has thorny branches and edible berries, which can be used to make medical oils. The mature plant can be cold-, wind-, salt-, and drought-tolerant.
Caragana, which is also called the Siberian peashrub, is also a fast-growing shrub tolerant of cold temperatures and drought.
