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Alden Robbins is the president of Georges River Energy, a biomass facility in Searsmont.
Maine’s energy future has always been closely tied to its natural resources, and biomass power is a clear example of how that tradition continues today. For more than 40 years, my family has owned and operated biomass combined heat and power plants in Searsmont.
I see every day how this local, renewable energy source supports jobs, businesses, and rural communities across our state. That’s why I’m grateful for Sen. Susan Collins’ leadership and support of Maine’s biomass industry.
At Georges River Energy, our facility generates enough electricity to power our sawmill, Robbins Lumber, which employs 130 people, and exports surplus power to the local grid. Operating continuously, the plant can supply electricity for up to 5,000 homes and provides reliable baseload power independent of weather conditions.
Just as important, our facility uses low-grade wood left over from local logging and milling. This material would otherwise have little value, but biomass gives forest workers a reliable market. Last year alone, Georges River Energy purchased more than $3 million worth of this wood, supporting loggers, landowners, and truckers. We also paid over $1 million in wages and invested another $1.3 million in local services and supplies, keeping dollars circulating in the regional economy.
Biomass already plays a meaningful role statewide. In 2024, it accounted for roughly 10% of Maine’s electricity generation, ranking the state ninth nationally for utility-scale biomass power. Unlike wind and solar, biomass provides firm, dispatchable power that can operate around the clock, supplying it cheaper than many of the new net energy billing contract solar installations that have recently been built. It also supports Maine’s forest products industry, an $8 billion economic engine that provides thousands of good-paying jobs in logging, trucking, manufacturing, and plant operations — especially in rural areas where those jobs matter most.
Sen. Collins has been a consistent advocate for this industry and for Maine’s working forests. She has rightly called wood energy a sustainable and economically viable power source and has supported policies that help forest-based businesses modernize and compete. In 2022, she and Sen. Angus King secured nearly $2.5 million in federal funding to strengthen Maine’s forest products sector and expand markets for wood biomass fuels, delivering real benefits to communities across the state.
This support matters because biomass is about more than electricity. When forests are responsibly managed, they provide renewable energy, sustain wildlife habitat, and support clean air and water, while also creating jobs and strengthening rural towns. Biomass helps ensure Maine’s forests remain working forests, supporting local businesses instead of exporting value elsewhere.
Challenges remain. Renewable energy markets can be unpredictable, and policies at the state and federal level don’t always keep pace with modern technology or forest management practices. Continued leadership from Maine’s congressional delegation is essential to ensure biomass remains part of a balanced, resilient energy strategy.
As Maine plans for the future, we should use every tool available. Biomass is proven, practical, and deeply rooted in our communities. It supports jobs, strengthens our energy infrastructure, and builds on Maine’s natural strengths.
Thank you to Sen. Collins for standing up for biomass and for rural Maine. Her leadership has helped keep this industry viable and ensured that communities like ours continue to have a voice in Washington.