Blue Sphere biogas project continues in Johnston

BLUE SPHERE Corp.’s biogas project in Johnston is taking longer to complete than originally estimated.
BLUE SPHERE Corp.’s biogas project in Johnston is taking longer to complete than originally estimated.

JOHNSTON – A North Carolina company is getting closer to finishing a long-anticipated anaerobic digestion facility in Johnston, which will eventually sell biogas energy to National Grid PLC.

Blue Sphere Corp., an international power generation company, broke ground on the 3.2 megawatt biogas facility in May 2015, expecting to come online in the beginning of 2016.

The project completion, however, has been delayed and company executives provided this update on Thursday: “The plant is going through the phases needed to bring the facility to the testing and commissioning phase. [A] team of engineers and subcontractors have been completing key elements of construction while preparing the facility for testing, commissioning and ultimately the commencement of operating activities.”

The company did not provide an estimated time for when the project would come online.

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A Blue Sphere representative could not be immediately reached for comment.

Auspark LLC, a subsidiary of the Italian-based Austep Group, is working on the project, according to the release. Blue Sphere says it holds a power-purchase agreement with National Grid, the state’s largest utility.

“We are very excited for the Rhode Island facility to be entering into this phase of development especially with winter about to arrive in the northeastern United States. We have been working very hard with all of our partners including the Austep Group to see this facility take shape and we further look forward to the day when we see this amazing asset become fully operational,” said Shlomi Palas, Blue Sphere CEO, in a statement.

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