(AP) -- AIKEN, S.C. (AP) -- The Energy Department's top official says a new project at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina will help the environment and create new jobs.
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu attended a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for a $795 million biomass facility at the old nuclear weapons complex near Aiken.
Chu says 800 workers will be needed to help build a new steam-generating station which will burn 322,000 tons of wood products and shredded tires annually.
The station is scheduled to open in December 2011 and will replace a coal-fired facility. Estimates show the project will save $34 million a year in energy and maintenance costs.
Later Monday, Chu is touring a General Electric plant in Greenville and attending a Clemson University symposium on green energy.
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