The DeKalb Development Authority has agreed to issue $53 million in bonds for a proposed biomass plant near Lithonia that has drawn fierce opposition from residents.

Green Energy Partners wants to burn wood on a 21-acre site on Rogers Lake Road near Lithonia, converting the wood into energy it will sell to Georgia Power.

A group of residents has sued the county for approving the $60 million plant in July, claiming the OK was invalid because DeKalb had contracted the year before to sell 40,000 tons of its wood chips yearly to the firm, for $200,000 a year. The lawsuit remains in DeKalb Superior Court.

Green Energy must next secure a permit from the state Environmental Protection Division to build the plant.

About the Author

Featured

The last Michelin Guide Awards ceremony took place at the Georgia World Congress Center on Monday, Oct 28, 2024.

Credit: Jenni Girtman