Biomass energy

NovoPower: Clean Energy from Forest Restoration and Recycled Fiber

In 2005, NZ Legacy, LLC initiated plans to construct a renewable biomass power facility near Snowflake, Arizona. Construction began in 2006, and by June 2008, the $85 million, 28-megawatt power plant began commercial operations under long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with Arizona Public Service (APS) and Salt River Project (SRP).

Originally built adjacent to the Catalyst Paper Mill (formerly Abitibi), twelve miles west of Snowflake, the plant was designed to convert regional waste materials into baseload renewable electricity. The facility temporarily operated as Snowflake Power, LLC following its sale in 2010, but NZ Legacy regained controlling ownership in 2013 and rebranded the operation as NovoPower, LLC.

NovoPower: Clean Energy from Forest Restoration and Recycled Fiber

Advanced Biomass Technology

At the heart of NovoPower is a state-of-the-art Babcock & Wilcox bubbling fluidized bed boiler, engineered specifically for the region’s unique biomass fuel profile. Fuel is sourced from two primary streams:

Forest Waste and Thinning Material: NovoPower supports critical forest health initiatives, including green forest thinning, wildfire mitigation, and restoration of burn areas such as the Rodeo-Chediski Fire zone. Additional fuel is sourced from waste byproducts of regional sawmills.
Recycled Paper Fiber: The adjacent paper mill produces over 250 bone-dry tons of waste paper fiber daily. Rather than sending this material to landfill, it is now processed through a moisture-reducing press system and used as supplemental fuel in the biomass boiler.

Strategic Site Advantages

The NovoPower facility was originally co-located with the Catalyst paper mill, creating numerous synergies:

Dedicated Transmission Access: A 69kV line directly connects the plant to APS’s Cholla Power Plant—SRP’s preferred delivery point. This line is capable of handling at least 25 additional megawatts of electricity, and the transmission agreement is already secured.
Regional Grid Relief: The White Mountain communities of Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside, Heber, and Snowflake rely on this feeder line, which has experienced congestion. NovoPower’s location directly eases this bottleneck and supports growing regional demand.
Recycled Fuel Reserves: The site holds 720,000 tons of paper sludge in a legacy landfill—enough to power a 6MW plant annually without using other feedstock. The same landfill now receives boiler ash, continuing its utility in a closed-loop process.
Natural Gas Availability: Existing gas infrastructure supports plant startup, potential drying processes, and any future hybrid applications.
Industrial-Scale Site: The plant occupies ample acreage, including a fire-protected chip yard that previously served the paper mill’s operations for 35 years.

A Commitment to Clean Energy

In 2012, when the paper mill ceased operations, NovoPower acquired the associated assets, including those supporting an 80MW coal and natural gas facility. However, in line with NZ Legacy’s commitment to clean, sustainable energy, the decision was made not to restart the fossil-fuel operations.