Orbit plans digester plant

Orbit Energy, a Raleigh alternative energy company, is planning a second power plant in the state that will convert food and animal waste into a flammable gas that can be used as a substitute for natural gas to generate electricity.

The company plans to build the small power plant by Dec. 31 in Charlotte, just south of the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, according to Orbit's registration statement with the N.C. Utilities Commission; it was issued Tuesday on the agency's Web site.

Orbit's $12 million facility will use anaerobic digestion to convert organic waste into a biogas. The fuel source will come from waste food from grocery stores, restaurants and food processing plants, as well as paper and cardboard.

Orbit plans to build 60 such facilities nationwide in the next decade, said CEO Anwar Shareef. The company operates one anaerobic digester in Clinton, about 60 miles south of Raleigh. The gas created at the Clinton site is being flared off until Orbit is able to sign a contract with Progress Energy.

Orbit hopes to sign a 20-year contract to sell Duke Energy electricity from the planned Charlotte plant. The power capacity of the Charlotte plant will be 3.2 megawatts, enough power for about 1,530 homes. The power output of the Clinton facility will be about 1.6 megawatts.