June 18, 2025 (News & Advance) –
Recent coverage in the Rich-mond Times-Dispatch has highlighted Virginia's "all-in" strategy to meet growing electricity demand, citing a diverse mix of solar, wind, gas, nuclear, coal and oil. Yet one proven, renewable resource is notably missing from that list: biomass from Virginia's forests.
Biomass — primarily in the form of wood chips and sawdust — is a natural byproduct of Virginia's robust forest products industry. These materials are already used efficiently to power industrial boilers and pulp mills across the state. With minimal modifications, those same materials can fuel steam turbines to generate electricity — often in facilities that are already online but underutilized or decommissioned.
Unlike fossil fuels, biomass is carbon-neutral and sustainably sourced. When mature trees are harvested for lumber, residuals like chips, sawdust, treetops and limbs can be used for energy — materials that would otherwise be left to decay. This approach maximizes use of the harvested tree, supports forest health, and reduces waste.
Virginia's forest products industry is the third-largest economic sector in the commonwealth, generating more than $30 billion annually and supporting over 108,000 jobs. But the recent closure of the Georgia-Pacific plywood plant in Emporia, which eliminated 554 jobs, has sent shockwaves through the industry. That single plant sustained a large network of loggers, landowners and mills throughout Southside Virginia. Now, hundreds of thousands of acres of carefully managed timberland are sitting idle, with no active market — and no clear path forward.
This is where biomass can help solve two urgent problems: energy shortages and economic uncertainty in Virginia's forestry communities.
By switching existing coalfired power plants to biomass, we can quickly bring dispatchable, base-load power back online with minimal infrastructure investment. Fuel storage, conveyor systems and boilers can be repurposed with relatively minor changes — an efficient, cost-effective solution compared to building new plants from scratch.
Incorporating biomass into Virginia's energy portfolio would give landowners, sawmills and loggers a renewed economic outlet — particularly in the rural communities now reeling from the Georgia-Pacific shutdown. At the same time, it would help the commonwealth meet its growing demand for reliable, homegrown energy.
We urge Virginia's lawmakers, regulators and energy providers — especially Dominion Energy — to give strong, immediate consideration to biomass as part of the state's future energy mix. The resource is here. The infrastructure exists. The need is urgent.
It's time to put Virginia's forests to work — for our economy, our energy needs and our future.
Kennon Morris is chairman of the board for the Virginia Forest Products Association. The VFPA advocates for and advances Virginia's lumber and wood products industry through education, sustainability and a unified voice in legislative and economic matters. Contact Morris at nnlumber@verizon.net.
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