Industry Partnership and Collaboration

Target audience(s):            Local Industry/Manufacturers

The energy-intensive industries and large energy consuming plants within the Territory have been unaware of existing opportunities to increase their energy efficiency through adoption of advanced technologies and best energy management practices. The VIEO. through this activity, will play an active role in boosting the productivity and competitiveness of the industrial base of local industries by working to raise the awareness and knowledge of industrial manufacturers on opportunities for energy efficiency and the impact that implementation of best practices in energy management can have on the corporate bottom line.  This will be accomplished by conducting informational workshops in both districts to educate the industrial sector on opportunities in forming partnerships with national, regional, and local industrial stakeholder groups through participation in the industries of the future: State Partnerships to accelerate industrial energy efficiency.

Environmental Impact

Target audience(s):         Citizens Advisory Board, Wetland Systems Operators, Wastewater Treatment Plants

The Territory has recently developed a Waste Management Authority.  Through collaboration with the Southern States Energy Board and the VIEO, this activity will address several projects that will yield improved environmental impacts and increased energy savings by the use of renewable energy technologies.  During this grant period, the parties will work on getting representation on a Citizens Advisory Board, assess the needs for the existing recycling campaign, conduct a feasibility study on the amount of recoverable landfill gas and equipment needed for extraction, implementation of a Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP), and a needs assessment for composting products and markets.  Additionally, the team will investigate the viability of demonstrating a subsurface wetland system as an alternative to a conventional wastewater treatment plant and a waste to energy distributed generation system utilizing landfill gas at the St. Croix landfill.