by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …The Obama Administration has laid out an integrated strategy for commercializing advanced biofuels, with a focus in this phase on military advanced biofuels at cost-competitive prices with conventional fuels.

The vehicle is a joint program between the DOE, USDA and the Department of Defense (principally, starring the US Navy, though, as we’ll see, critically including other elements).

…On June 27, the Air Force announced a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for $30 million under its Defense Production Act authority. Because the desired fuels will be for military operational use, they must be approved and certified JP-5, JP-8, and/or F-76 equivalents by the time the commercial-scale biofuel production facility would become operational.

The funding

The Defense Department is committing $210 million between two phases.

The first phase is expected to include five awards at up to $6 million each. Only those applicants selected for Phase 1 can compete for the Phase 2 awards. Up to three Phase 2 awards are expected at approximately $70 million each ($180 million total). Only $100 million is allocated for Fiscal Year 2012, so total Phase 2 funding depends on future appropriations.  …

The feedstocks

1. Renewable biomass. Materials, pre-commercial thinning, or invasive species from National Forest System land and public lands (with significant caveats – see the full FOA). Trees; algae and other microorganisms (grown non-heterotrophic for biomass or direct products); Crop residue (including cobs, stover, bagasse and other residues); vegetative waste, wood waste and wood residues; Animal waste and byproducts (including fats, oils, greases, and manure); and Food waste and yard waste.

2. MSW and sludge. The organic fraction therein can be used.

3. Other “transitional feedstocks”, e.g. Corn starch, cane, beet or sorghum sugars, or oils derived from soybean, canola, sunflower, corn, peanut or DDGS can be used, but must offer “a credible “transition plan” that demonstrates how subsequent commercial production facilities (built after the one built under the DPA Title III Program) could be economically designed and constructed utilizing “renewable biomass” materials.” …

The due dates

Responses are due to the DPA Title III executive agent by August 13, 2012. The Air Force expects to announce awards by March 1, 2013. This is for the “Phase I” portion of the DPA program, $30 million  to go to awardees for architectural and engineering expenses for integrated supply chains.

Phase II would apply the balance of the $240 million ($100 million of which has been appropriated to date) from the Navy and DOE toward physical construction, shakedown, and operation. …

Parallel USDA support

USDA’s additional $170 million in commodity credit corporation funds can also be used by Phase II awardees but will be administered directly through the USDA program. Neither CCC funds nor Defense Logistics Agency Offtake Agreements will be awarded as part of the DPA Title III Advanced Drop-In Biofuels Production Project.

Parallel DOE announcements

The Energy Department is also announcing $32 million in new investments in earlier stage biofuels research that complement the commercial-scale efforts announced today by the Navy and USDA.

READ MORE and MORE (Biofuels Digest) and  MORE (Biodiesel Magazine) and MORE (Algae Industry Magazine) and MORE (BusinessGreen.com) and MORE (Reuters) and MORE (Algae Industry Magazine)

and MORE  (US Air Force Solicitation Number: FOA-12-15-PKM)

and MORE (US Department of Energy DE-FOA-0000745 Enhanced Algal Biofuel Intermediate Yields Request for Information (RFI))

and MORE (DE-FOA-0000739, Innovative Pilot and Demonstration Scale Production of Advanced Biofuels)