Secretaries Chu and Vilsack Announce More Than $600 Million Investment in Advanced Biorefinery Projects
Secretaries Chu and Vilsack Announce More Than $600 Million Investment in Advanced Biorefinery Projects
Private company investment brings total to nearly $1.3 billion for 19 biorefinery projects to create jobs and new markets for rural America
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the selection of 19 integrated biorefinery projects to receive up to $564 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to accelerate the construction and operation of pilot, demonstration, and commercial scale facilities. The projects – in 15 states – will validate refining technologies and help lay the foundation for full commercial-scale development of a biomass industry in the United States. The projects selected today will produce advanced biofuels, biopower, and bioproducts using biomass feedstocks at the pilot, demonstration, and full commercial scale. The projects selected today are part of the ongoing effort to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, spur the creation of the domestic bio-industry and provide new jobs in many rural areas of the country.
"Advanced biofuels are critical to building a cleaner, more sustainable transportation system in the U.S." said Secretary Chu. "These projects will help establish a domestic industry that will create jobs here at home and open new markets across rural America."
Joining Secretary Chu, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack noted that USDA Rural Development has selected San Diego, California based Sapphire Energy to receive a loan guarantee for up to $54.5 million through the Biorefinery Assistance Program to demonstrate an integrated algal biorefinery process that will cultivate algae in ponds, and will use dewatering and oil extraction technology to produce an intermediate that will then be processed into drop-in green fuels such as jet fuel and diesel. The actual project will be constructed in Columbus, New Mexico.
"The development of renewable energy is a critical component of our efforts to rebuild and revitalize rural America," said Secretary Vilsack. "This Farm Bill program is instrumental in increasing our energy independence and expanding new technologies and markets for agricultural and environmental waste material."
