TAMC to convert to compressed natural gas
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
THE AROOSTOOK MEDICAL CENTER held a groundbreaking for its innovative compressed natural gas heating conversion project last Thursday.
Participating in the event were, from left: James McKenney, TAMC vice president for diagnostic and support services; Tim Doak, TAMC facility engineer; Sylvia Getman, TAMC president and chief executive officer; Gene Lynch, vice chair of the TAMC board of trustees; Brian Doyle, the governor’s account executive for Aroostook County in the Department of Economic and Community Development; and Bob Dorsey, president and chief executive officer of the Aroostook Partnership for Progress.
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
PRESQUE ISLE — The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle became the first in the state, and what is believed by officials to be the first in the nation, to break ground on a project that will allow for a conversion to heat with compressed natural gas (CNG).
CNG is a form of natural gas that is stored under high pressure. Hospital officials said it is one of the cleanest and safest fuels available.
At a ground-breaking ceremony last Thursday, TAMC leaders said that once the conversion is complete early next spring, the health care organization will save an estimated $400,000 to $500,000 in annual heating costs at its largest facility, the A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital.
“Rising energy costs are significantly — and negatively — impacting many businesses and households in our region and across the state,” said Gene Lynch, vice chair of the TAMC board of trustees. “This project will go a long way toward mitigating that challenge and afford TAMC the opportunity to not only be a pioneer and leader in the effort to successfully integrate alternative energy, but to significantly reduce our costs.”
According to TAMC President and Chief Executive Officer Sylvia Getman, the groundbreaking was the result of a year-and-a-half long process.
“Driven really by concern with not only the high cost of heating and cooling our plant, but also the increasing rise of that expense, we undertook a comprehensive project to review all the alternatives that are out there,” she said. “I think we looked at least 11 different technologies and fuel options.
“There is a significant economic benefit to this switch. The cost savings is truly remarkable to us and will allow us to take that resource and reinvest it in the work that we are here to do which is providing excellent patient care,” said Getman. “No less important is that this a green technology, and we feel very strongly that our mission — both in health care and as an organization — is above all, to do no harm, and that involves our environment, as well. We felt very passionately that whatever alternative that we went to needed to allow us to be good stewards of the environment here in Aroostook County.”
The first phase of the project is under way with earth-moving equipment now on site at the far south end of the hospital property in an area that until recently was used as a parking lot. Soderberg Construction of Caribou is preparing the site for a decompression station where, once up and running, tube trailers filled with CNG will be connected.
The decompression station will lower the pressure and transfer the gas into an underground pipeline, which will run along the eastern boundary of the hospital property and cross a parking lot to connect with and feed the existing boiler plant. The existing burners on TAMC’s boilers can burn CNG with only minor modification, and will also be able to burn No. 2 heating oil as a back-up fuel.
“We truly did look at 11 different options including biomass, wind power and solar. Given the low start-up costs and stable natural gas market, we assessed that CNG was the most cost-effective option,” said James McKenney, TAMC vice president for diagnostic and support services. “We will continue to look toward long term solutions and explore other forms of alternative energy, including biomass, for our facilities throughout central Aroostook County.”
Total start-up costs for the CNG conversion project will be around $300,000, so TAMC officials expect a return on investment in less than one year. According to McKenney, TAMC also intends to expand how it uses CNG in the future to include powering the hospital’s air conditioning, clothes dryers and cooking ovens. Currently, the hospital uses fuel oil to both heat and cool the facility.
“CNG is very safe which was another factor in our considering it,” said McKenney. “Even if there ever was a leak, CNG is lighter than air so it quickly dissipates into the air; unlike propane which is heavier than air which would cause it to puddle thus creating another safety hazard.”
TAMC officials were joined by state, regional and local leaders in making the announcement. With the boiler plant serving as the backdrop, the project was cited as a best practice in helping move the regional and state economy forward.
“It is very encouraging to see Maine businesses taking action to pursue all options to lower energy costs. Not only will lower energy costs have an immediate impact on their bottom line, but it will also position them for future economic and job growth,” said Brian Doyle, the governor’s account executive for Aroostook County in the Department of Economic and Community Development.
Tim Doak, TAMC facility engineer, serves on the alternative energy committee comprised of staff and members of the TAMC board of trustees. Doak designed the site and led the effort to obtain the necessary environmental permitting to allow construction of the facility to begin.
“Our group worked collaboratively with the Maine Fuel Board, Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the State Fire Marshal’s office to establish the guidelines and appropriate codes and safety measures for this ground-breaking project,” said Doak. “The state, in particular the Fire Marshal’s office, has been very supportive and has responded with remarkable speed to develop guidelines and an approval process to allow this project to proceed.”
That effort to seek state approval for such projects was supported by the Aroostook Partnership for Progress (APP) which formed a Natural Gas Working Group to champion the cause and tackle the barriers and rules implementation with the state. APP worked with Ken Fletcher, Gov. LePage’s energy director, who was instrumental in working with the Maine PUC, Fuel Board and Fire Marshall to finalize the natural gas operating parameters and eliminate the permitting obstacles.
“This was a great team effort,” said Bob Dorsey, president and chief executive officer of APP. “Working with the TAMC team, Aroostook businesses, natural gas suppliers and the state agencies, using the TAMC pilot project as a basis for discussions and getting the go-ahead for natural gas use in the county in just three months is just an incredible accomplishment.
“Reducing energy costs in Aroostook County is fundamental to business retention or business growth. We’ve had a number of businesses over the last 10 years that have come to the county and decided not to locate here predominately because of the high energy costs,” Dorsey said. “This is a game changer, and we know there’s going to be at least 10 organizations in the county that plan to switch to CNG in the next couple of years. That’s going to be huge for them because they’re going to see the same kind of savings that TAMC expects to realize.”
TAMC has been working for several months with partners Mechanical Services, Inc., which has four locations in Maine, including Presque Isle, and New England-based XNG (Xpress Natural Gas) to develop specific details for the conversion. Mechanical Services introduced the concept of CNG to TAMC, and will provide the expertise for the boiler house piping and burner conversion.
XNG will be the first company in Maine to haul CNG for heating use, and will provide the trailers, decompression station, CNG, and do all of the hauling. TAMC’s supply of CNG will come from the northeastern United States. XNG trucks with tube trailers will transport the fuel from a new CNG compression station being built in Baileyville in Washington County.
When a truck arrives, it will connect to the decompression station and the tube trailer will remain on-site until the tank is empty. At that point, another trailer will be trucked to the site to take its place. Several trailers of fuel will be delivered each month.
The cylindrical trailers used to transport CNG must meet very stringent safety standards. They are designed to survive a rollover at highway speeds without rupturing. The trucks hauling CNG to TAMC will use the Centerline and Easton roads to access the hospital, thus avoiding the heavy traffic and sharp turn onto Academy Street in downtown Presque Isle.
