Idea for Central Corridor energy district spurred by need to power Minnesota's largest paper recycler

The vision of a Central Corridor energy district was triggered by the predicament of Minnesota's largest paper recycler. In August, Rock-Tenn Company lost its primary energy source when Xcel Energy's High Bridge power plant was shut down. Steam energy from the coal-fired power plant on Shepard Road traveled along six miles of pipe to Rock-Tenn's plant near Vandalia Avenue.

The steam provided power to convert about 1,000 tons of recycled paper a day into boxboard used in packaging for foods and other consumer products. The pipeline cost Rock-Tenn about $40 million when it was constructed in 1984.

Today, Rock-Tenn runs its own boilers to generate the enormous amount of power needed to convert recycled paper and cardboard to pulp and then to usable boxboard. The steam power required by Rock-Tenn's machinery equals the power needed to heat 22,000 homes or all the buildings in downtown Saint Paul.

Rock-Tenn is working to reduce its power needs by improving energy efficiencies and conservation.

Since switching to fuel oil and natural gas, Rock-Tenn's energy bill is projected to increase as much as $1 million per month. The company, which employs nearly 500 workers, can weather the increased energy costs for about three years.

So, the Port Authority is moving quickly to study the development of a new power plant to serve Rock-Tenn's needs -- and the needs of Central Corridor businesses -- fueled by renewable fuel sources from Minnesota.

Working with the Port Authority, the Rock-Tenn Community Advisory Panel (rtadvisory.org) is currently considering which renewable fuel options are the safest, most environmentally friendly and economically workable for the proposed power plant.

"The opportunity that Rock-Tenn has afforded us comes around once a generation," said Mayor Chris Coleman. "This opportunity doesn't end with saving 500 well-paying union jobs at the plant. It doesn't end with keeping the state's largest paper recycler in Saint Paul. Our opportunity is to be bold and devise a solution that ensures cleaner air in the city while decreasing our contribution to global warming, building a new industry of homegrown fuel and making us more energy independent."