Fibrowatt, an energy company that generates electricity using poultry droppings, picked Surry County as a site for a second planned power plant in North Carolina.

The Pennsylvania-based company is received $5.3 million in state and county incentives to build the plant at the site.

Fibrowatt in April picked Sampson County for its first power plant in North Carolina fueled by chicken litter. A third and final site also could be announced this year.

Fibrowatt officials say the Surry C6ounty power plant near the northwest border of North Carolina will provide poultry growers an alternative to disposing of animal waste. The plant would burn up to 400,000 tons of fuel a year. The fuel consists of about 85 percent chicken waste mixed with wood chips.

The $190 million plant is expected to begin generating electricity in late 2011. When completed, a Fibrowatt plant will support up to 80 jobs in plant operations, trucking chicken waste and operating an ash fertilizer plant.

The plant would generate 40 megawatts, enough to power about 30,000 homes. That's about 1/25 the output of a typical nuclear power plant.

Fibrowatt would not sell the electricity to 30,000 homes, however. The company would sell the power to an electric utility, and the utility would deliver the electricity to customers. Fibrowatt has not negotiated a contract but is in talks with several utilities.

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