Duluth's steam plant will be swapping out coal and natural gas for biofuel in the near future.
Earlier this week, the Duluth City Council authorized Duluth Energy Systems to enter into a five-year agreement with an Ottawa, Ontario-based company that produces a type of fuel oil it makes from wood waste.
Lee Torrens, president of Ensyn Fuels, said Duluth Energy Systems is his firm's first Minnesota customer, but he's optimistic it won't be the last. Initially, the fuel burned in Duluth will be produced at a plant in Renfrew, Ontario. However, Torrens said he hopes to eventually open a production facility in Minnesota, perhaps on the Iron Range or in Duluth, to serve a growing stateside market.