Saint Paul considers another step toward energy independence

Twenty years after bringing the environmental and economic benefits of district heating and cooling to downtown Saint Paul, city officials want to connect University Avenue businesses to a new, green energy district.

Operating on renewable fuels, a proposed power plant at Interstate 94 and Highway 280 could deliver energy for heating via underground pipes to more businesses along the Central Corridor. The new energy district could be operating by the time the Central Corridor Light Rail begins service in 2014.

University Avenue business owners who choose to connect to the proposed system would no longer have to cope with seasonal increases in fuel oil or natural gas costs since furnaces would not be needed. This would halt their release of pollutants and carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

Businesses connected to the downtown Saint Paul district energy system have experienced stable energy costs and considerable energy savings overall. About 80 percent of the system is fueled by waste wood from trees cleared from local parks or damaged by storms.

Working with a 15-member citizens' advisory panel, engineers at Market Street Energy, and others, the Saint Paul Port Authority is exploring the possibility of creating a Central Corridor energy district.

"With a district energy system powered by green, renewable fuels for the Central Corridor, Saint Paul can do its part to slow climate change, and further improve air quality in the neighborhood," said Mayor Chris Coleman. "We canreduce our use of imported oil and natural gas and help make Saint Paul an environmentally responsible, energy-independent city."