Central’s Chamois Power Plant produced “green power” in 2003. Due to tornados that damaged the Hammons Products walnut facility in Stockton, Missouri on May 5, 2003, Central was able to purchase a large amount of walnut shells that would otherwise have been disposed of as waste in a local landfill.
Walnut shells are considered a renewable resource and therefore quality as “green power’. These shells were so finely ground that they worked well as a blend with the coal. Our Chamois plant employees were able to develop an efficient method to blend the walnut shell stock into the coal system. This allowed Central to produce 4,825 megawatt hours of “green power”. Shelled corn was also used in a test burn to prove its viability as a biomass fuel. (2003)