VayuGrid Signs Agreement for Biofuel Zones in Zambia

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February 15, 2013

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(VayuGrid/PR NewsWire) EEP-SEA Selects VayuSap™ Among 168 Other Projects for a Grant of Over $1 Million

India-based VayuGrid and Zambia-based BetterWorld Energy have inked an agreement to partner on VayuSap™ biofuel development zones in Zambia. The development zones, based on Elite VayuSap™ trees, will produce sustainable energy, local jobs, and reforest and rehabilitate degraded lands which will, in turn, raise living standards for the local communities and replace imports of petroleum fuels across the country.

The Energy and Environment Partnership in Southern and Eastern Africa (EEP-SEA), funded by the governments of Finland, Austria, UK, and hosted by the Development Bank of Southern Africa, recently selected the VayuSap™ project for a phase 1 grant as the only project out of 168 projects submitted in this sector in Zambia. The VayuSap™ project is based on a sustainable networked model to enable rural communities to plant VayuSap™ trees on degraded and deforested land, and to link these plantations to central commercial plantations and processing hubs.

“Over 70% of Zambia’s energy needs currently come from forest biomass,” said Dr. Benjamin Warr , Founder and Managing Director of BetterWorld Energy. “The VayuSap™ tree together with our development zone business model are excellent solutions to drastically turn-around the environmental degradation while reducing poverty and increasing energy access.”

“Zambia is going through a dramatic transformation as the country looks at economic diversification,” said Doug Peterson , CEO of VayuGrid. “Our partnership with BetterWorld Energy will address the needs of sustainable energy in an ROI based model to benefit all players in the value chain, including the rural communities, the energy consumers, and the government.”

The phase 1 grant will lead to over $1M in grant funding, and serve as a pilot for expected over 20,000 acres of VayuSap™ biofuel development zones over the next 5 years. READ MORE

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