A year of steady growth for local wood pellet plant

It hasn't taken long for Pennsylvania Pellet to establish itself as a leading producer of wood pellets for home and industrial heating and some industrial users. Co-owner Luke Watson (right) said the company expanded to 'roundthe clock production using three shifts and is looking to expand its marketing.

A new business in northern Potter County has passed its first anniversary with a year of steady growth behind it and a bright future ahead.

Pennsylvania Pellet Company, located just south of Ulysses, employs about 45 people manufacturing pellets for wood-burning stoves.

Co-owner Luke Watson said there's a strong demand for pellets across the country and his company has expanded to 'round-the-clock production. Daily output is heading toward the 100-ton milestone, servicing a growing network of dealers. Retail sales are not offered at the Ulysses plant.

Pennsylvania Pellet buys woods chips, sawdust and hardwood remnants (pole wood) from many sources, including local producers. Those materials are converted to premium-grade hardwood pellets. The process at the Ulysses plant includes sorting, drying, grinding, compression and bagging.

Once compressed and dried, pellets hold their form with natural lignin. No glue or binders are required.

A $325,000 grant from the Pa. Energy Development Agency, combined with private funding, allowed Pennsylvania Pellet to begin production last November.

Most producers manufacture premium grade pellets, while a handful produce standard grade. The difference is ash content - standard grade fuel is usually up to three-percent ash content, while premium grade is less than one percent.

"We regularly have our pellets tested by independent laboratories to ensure consistent high quality," Watson said. "Our pellets average 8,500-plus BTUs per pound with less than six-tenths of one percent ash."

Consumers have dozens of choices when it comes to wood pellet fireplaces or fireplace inserts.

Pennsylvania Pellets is affiliated with a trade organization, the Pellet Fuels Institute.

Additional information on Pennsylvania Pellets is available by email at info@papellets.com, or by phone at 848-9970.

More consumers are turning to wood pellets as a heating source due to their reasonable cost and relative clean burning. As costs for other energy sources continue to rise, demand is likely to increase. The end product at Pennsylvania Pellet is a premium-grade pellet that is shipped to a growing list of dealers.

What is pellet fuel?

Pellet fuel is a renewable, clean-burning and cost-stable home heating alternative.

There are approximately 800,000 homes in the U.S. using wood pellets for heat. Pellet heating can also be found in some large institutions.

A pellet stove looks much like a wood stove, but is automated. Heating a home with pellet fuel requires only the ability to add pellets into a hopper, set the desired heat output and provide occasional maintenance, such as cleaning out an ash pan.

Pellets have five to 10 percent moisture content, compared to 30 to 60 percent for cordwood and woodchips.

Pellet fuel has proven to provide the cleanest burn of any solid fuel with an average of 1.2 particulate grams per hour - well below the EPA wood-burning limit of 7.5 grams.