OGDENSBURG -- State Senator Patty Ritchie met this week with officials from Eagle Creek Renewable Energy and Alliance Energy to discuss their plans for a $50 million “green” energy plant in Ogdensburg that has the potential to create hundreds of temporary and permanent jobs.

“This project has the potential for 50 new local jobs in Ogdensburg, 100 new jobs in our forestry and trucking industry, plus 200 to 300 temporary construction jobs,” Ritchie said.

“We don’t have that many major companies looking to invest $50 million in Northern and Central New York. This project will allow state agencies to avoid spending $20 to $30 million of taxpayers’ money on unnecessary duplicative state-owned boiler systems,” the 48th District senator said.

Eagle Creek Renewable Energy wants to develop the biomass facility with Alliance Energy, which owns the Ogdensburg cogenerator plant, but they need the support of state officials to ensure a market for the green energy it produces, the senator said.

“New York State is looking for ways to help grow our economy, create new jobs, invest in green energy technologies and help reduce wasteful and unneeded state spending, so I am always eager to learn about private sector investment that can help us accomplish these goals,” said Ritchie, a Republican from Heuvelton.

“Using our own North Country grown wood products to create long term jobs while reducing state energy costs provides an exciting opportunity for our region to lead the rest of the state in using innovative technology to grow our economy,” Ritchie said.