05/16/05 Intrepid about to begin second project

Intrepid Technologies should start bringing in some revenue later this year from the methane gas it will sell from the Whitesides Dairy near Rupert. That's where Intrepid built an anaerobic digester to treat the manure from the four thousand head dairy. Brad Frazee they've ordered the equipment that will purify the natural gas created through the digestion process. FRAZEE "At that point in time we will be cleaning up the gas and making our first sale. So that's a big step for us." But an even bigger step is about to be taken near Wendell. That's where Intrepid will build its second digester. Frazee says the Westpoint Dairy project is five times bigger than Whitesides. FRAZEE "It is a different operation. It will be a free stall verses the open lot dairy that we have at Whitesides. Actually we took the toughest step at Whitesides adapting a biogas operation to an open lot is much more difficult than it is for a free stall dairy." The 15 tanks installed at Westpoint will be able to process 75 thousand gallons of manure daily. Intrepid is moving ahead with plans to build a pipeline from the Gooding County dairy to Wendell where the gas will be refined before it's sold to Intermountain Gas Company. Frazee says it will be late this year or early next before the Westpoint construction is complete and the digester can begin to function. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott