YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A third mobile boiler is on its way to SOBE Thermal Energy Systems LLC’s plant along North Avenue, just as a dangerous winter freeze tightens its grip across the Mahoning Valley with little relief in sight over the next several days.
Reg Martin, the court-appointed receiver for the district steam heating and cooling company, said an 800-horsepower mobile boiler unit was scheduled to be shipped Wednesday from Power Mechanical Corp. in Virginia.
“Once we get it, it should be installed within three to four days,” Martin said.
Meanwhile, the weather forecast calls for temperatures plunging well below zero during the evenings and early mornings through Saturday, with highs in the low double digits.
At present, SOBE provides steam heat to 28 customers downtown through two mobile boiler systems – one a 650- horsepower unit and the other a 200-horsepower trailer. The third boiler will add capacity to the system and provide any necessary backup.
“We made it through last weekend OK, and we’re making it through today,” Martin said Tuesday. So far, he said there have been no major disruptions to service for which SOBE is responsible. The following morning, however, a water supply line ruptured, causing the existing boiler operations to shut down, leaving customers without heat or hot water. The water line was repaired by around 11 a.m. and full steam service was restored by 12:30 p.m. “It’s all fixed and fully operational,” he noted Wednesday.
Five or so customers have complained about a drop in pressure, but Martin said the problem existed on the user’s end and was not related to SOBE service.
“We have a glitch here and there, but we jump on them and they’re fixed in almost no time,” Martin said. “Once we get this boiler in, that should push it up substantially. It gives us a heck of a lot more pressure. That will cover us for the whole winter.”
The next step is to install new meters to better assess customer usage, he added.
A Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on Sept. 26 appointed Martin as a receiver to manage the assets of SOBE, citing the likelihood of insolvency.
On Sept. 30, Wabash Power Corp. disconnected and repossessed a mobile steam heating trailer that it leased to SOBE so the company could provide heat to downtown customers. However, SOBE had failed to make lease payments on the unit, and the court ruled in August that Wabash had the right to repossess the equipment.
Last-minute attempts by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to stay the repossession failed since the unit had already been decommissioned, according to documents filed with the Common Pleas Court. The issue led to a weeklong disruption of heating services to SOBE’s downtown customers.
Martin then secured a 650-horsepower boiler for SOBE. In December, the second, 200-horsepower unit arrived at the site, adding more capacity to the system.
Nevertheless, the city – which is also a major customer – remains dissatisfied with SOBE’s delivery system and its ability to maintain consistent service to the central business district.
“The ongoing issues with SOBE’s ability to provide adequate heating services continue to be alarming and fall well below the standards of their responsibilities as a public utility,” a city spokesman said Wednesday.
“We continue to urge for immediate intervention from PUCO and are continuously working with the state to find a meaningful and long-term solution to meet the needs of our constituents who depend on their services,” the statement said.
Enbridge Funds
In early December, the PUCO reached a settlement agreement with East Ohio Gas – doing business as Enbridge Gas Ohio – regarding the commission’s investigation into the Realty Tower explosion in 2024. The agreement includes a provision that stipulates Enbridge award $750,000 to SOBE. The company is mandated to use these funds for the lease or purchase of steam-heat equipment, including the third boiler.
The Realty Tower explosion May 28, 2024, was caused by maintenance workers cutting into what was documented as an inactive gas line maintained at the time by Enbridge. However, the line was still pressurized and caused an explosion that killed one person and injured several others. The Realty Tower building was razed months later.
SOBE assumed the assets of Youngstown Thermal from receivership in 2019 and planned to use recycled tire chips to produce synthetic gas as a source to fuel its steam heating operation on North Avenue.
In the meantime, SOBE, based in Dublin, Ohio, agreed in 2019 to lease a mobile steam unit from Wabash so it could serve customers while the plant converted its systems to synthetic gas.
The synthetic gas project, however, was met with opposition from city residents and then Mayor Jamael Tito Brown’s administration, and it never moved forward.
Pictured at top: SOBE Thermal Energy’s plant along North Avenue in Youngstown.