A plan to build a 100-megawatt biomass power plant in Gainesville was endorsed by Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday.
The endorsement means that only a few steps are left until construction can begin, including getting an air permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
There has been debate between officials and citizens about what the effects of the proposed plant will have on Gainesville’s environment.
Those who oppose the plant, which will burn wood waste, say it will cause pollution and cost more money to operate, in turn raising customers’ bills.
Those who support the plant say it will help the economy by creating jobs and decrease pollution.
The cost of the plant is estimated to be $2 billion. The plant will hire 44 people for operation and is anticipated to create 700 jobs indirectly, such as truck drivers who will be needed to get wood to the plant.
The endorsement came after Robert E. Meale, a state federal judge, recommended that Crist and the Cabinet endorse the plant. He issued a 72-page order in November that said the plant would boost Gainesville’s economy and decrease pollution.
The plant would create energy by burning waste wood, which are parts of trees that can’t be used to make products and are usually left to decompose after timbering operations.
The plant, called the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center, is planned to be 8 miles northwest of downtown Gainesville. Construction is hoped to begin early 2011 and completed in 2013.
