Prineville, Oregon, Receives $1 Million US Forest Service Grant to Further Develop a Renewable Energy Biomass Plant to Reduce Wildfire Risk

Oregon’s KTVZ, Channel 21 is reporting (4-9-23) that the City of Prineville has just received a $1 million boost from the US Forest service for its plans with Crook County to build a 25-megawatt renewable energy biomass plant that officials say will speed and expand forest restoration projects while reducing wildfire risk.

Prineville City Manager Steve Forrester told KTVZ that the Prineville Renewable Energy Project, or PREP, is a proposed 24.9-megawatt biomass power plant. Forrester says it “will create a host of environmental, economic, and social benefits. The project is anticipated to increase the pace and scale of ecological restoration activities by reducing their cost. The City of Prineville views the project as sustainable, long-term solution to improving forest health and reducing wildfire risk.”

The $1-million grant is coming from the US Forest Service’s Wood Product Infrastructure Assistance Program, and it will be used to fund continuing permitting and design work to move the project forward.