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BESICORP - EMPIRE FILES PRE-APPLICATION DOCUMENTS WITH STATE AGENCIES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Besicorp-Empire Development Company, LLC announced today that it filed pre-application documents with state permitting agencies on Wednesday, November 22 for an integrated newsprint recycling and cogeneration facility. Approximately 90-acres in the City of Rensselaer, at the current BASF Corporation site, is designated in these documents as the preferred location. The Empire State Newsprint Project (the "Project") is a state-of-the-art facility that integrates a recycled newsprint manufacturing facility with a natural gas-fired cogeneration facility. The newsprint facility will process over 400,000 metric tons per year of old newspaper and magazines to produce 330,000 metric tons per year of 100% recycled high quality newsprint. The power generation facility will be fueled by natural gas and use highly efficient, combined-cycle cogeneration technology to produce approximately 500 MW of electricity for sale while providing all the steam and electric requirements of the paper facility. The Project will significantly reduce capital costs for the fully integrated facility, stabilize energy supply and costs to the newsprint facility, as well as significantly enhance the New York State supply of cleaner electricity. The filing of pre-application documents for the Besicorp-Empire recycling/cogeneration facility will commence a joint environmental review process by the New York State Department of Public Service ("NYSDPS") and the New York Sate Department of Environmental Conservation ("NYSDEC"). A joint review process is needed because this integrated facility has aspects that fall under each program. The NYSDPS administers Article X, which governs environmental review guidelines for siting power generation facilities. The NYSDEC administers the State Environmental Quality Review Act ("SEQRA"), which governs environmental review guidelines for siting industrial facilities. The pre-application document is a public document and is available at the following libraries: Rensselaer Public Library, North Greenbush Public Library, East Greenbush Community Library, Troy Public Library, and Albany Public Library. "The submittal of these documents completes another milestone in the ongoing successful development of this environmentally sound project. Besicorp looks forward to producing positive economic benefits for New York State and will continue to encourage open communications through an ongoing public involvement program," said William Seils, President of Besicorp Development, Inc. Construction on the Project is targeted to commence in September 2002. Besicorp-Empire Development Company, LLC is a joint venture between Besicorp Development, Inc. and Empire State Newsprint LLC. Besicorp Development, Inc. specializes in the development of environmentally sound independent power projects. 1151 Flatbush Road, Kingston, NY 12401 USA Contact: Sean Casey Sawchuk, Brown Associates
(518) 462-0318.
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