West Biofuels Secures $1.5 Million to Develop Bioenergy Facilities

Agriculture (USDA)BioChemicals/Renewable Chemicals BioRefineries/Renewable Fuel Production Biorefinery/Fuel Production Infrastructure Business News/Analysis California Energy (DOE)Federal Agency/Executive Branch Forestry/Wood/Residues/Waste Funding/Financing/Investing grants Infrastructure Process R & D Focus Sustainability

July 31, 2023

Print This Article Share it With Friends

(West Biofuels) Federal Grants will Increase Forest Sustainability, Promote Innovation, and Bolster Local Economies -- West Biofuels, LLC (“West Biofuels”) announced $1.5 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase the sustainable use of forest products while promoting innovation and bolstering local economies. The Woodland, Calif.-based company engineers, procures, and constructs (EPC) and operates and maintains biomass facilities.

Approximately $1.2 million in funding from the Community Wood Energy Grant Program was awarded to their latest project, the Hat Creek Bioenergy Facility (Burney, Calif.), which is expected to be operational in the spring of 2024. The federal program funds the installation of thermally led community wood energy systems or the building of innovative wood product manufacturing facilities.
‍
The funding also included $300,000 from the Wood Innovation Grant Program for a planned bioenergy facility in Mariposa, Calif. The federal program expands wood energy markets and traditional wood utilization projects and promotes utilizing wood as a construction material in commercial, institutional, and multifamily buildings.
‍
The bioenergy facilities in Burney and Mariposa are each expected to produce three megawatts of clean power per year by converting forest organic byproducts – once considered waste – into renewable electricity, heat, and biochar. Specifically, the Hat Creek Bioenergy Facility is estimated to source approximately 30,000 bone dry tons of forest waste per year, which would fill approximately 171 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
‍
“We appreciate the federal government's recognition and investment,” said Kristen Decker, Chief Financial Officer of West Biofuels. “With their support, West Biofuels can transform California's forest waste into clean, renewable energy that powers communities and reduces wildfire risk. Our innovative bioenergy facilities also help stimulate rural economic growth and advance California’s ambitious climate goals, so we’re proud to help solve some of our state’s most pressing challenges.”
‍
Today’s news follows similar grant awards to West Biofuels from the California Energy Commission, including:

$3 million for producing pipeline-grade renewable natural gas and value-added chemicals from forest biomass residue. This grant was completed, and West Biofuels’ demonstration will support commercial-scale fuel production projects and further reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector. (FRD-17-005)
$2 million for demonstrating a robust, efficient, and environmentally sound Biomass Combined Heat and Power (BCHP) system for commercial deployment in the agricultural processing sector in California. This grant is in progress, and West Biofuels is currently testing the pilot system with various agricultural feedstocks. (PIR-11-008)
$1 million for developing renewable fuel ethanol and value-added chemicals from woody biomass residue. This grant was completed, and West Biofuels demonstrated that substituting out-of-state corn ethanol for in-state biomass is over four times less carbon-intensive. (ARV-15-017)
$1 million for renewable natural gas production from woody biomass via gasification and fluidized-bed methanation. The pilot project grant was completed, and the University of California, San Diego, and West Biofuels confirmed that benefits on a commercial scale would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel imports, and costs associated with methanation, syngas cooling and cleaning, and installed facility capital. Other benefits included increased energy security, job creation, technology development, and forest management support. (PIR-14-023) READ MORE

West Biofuels, LLC, engineers, procures, and constructs (EPC), as well as operates and maintains biomass facilities that create renewable energy, support rural economic growth, reduce the risk of wildfires, and advance California’s climate goals. Since 2007, they have been pioneers in the bioenergy industry with cutting-edge research and development. In 2017, they expanded operations to transform organic byproducts into valuable renewable energy that powers California communities. Their Woodland Research and Development Center is a top-tier biomass technology facility in North America that partners with global experts to further research and develop high-value fuels and chemicals. Discover more at WestBiofuels.com and connect on LinkedIn. READ MORE

Related articles

West Biofuels Completes Major Construction Milestone at Hat Creek Bioenergy Facility (West Biofuels/EIN News)
West Biofuels Selected for up to $30MM to Convert Forest Biomass into Renewable Energy for California (West Biofuels/EIN News)

Excerpt from West Biofuels/EIN News: Woodland-based bioenergy company selected for award negotiations from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations -- Today (February 29, 2024), West Biofuels, LLC (“West Biofuels”) announced they were selected for up to $30 million in award negotiations from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) to provide low-carbon, stable energy for the rural communities in Burney, Mariposa and Mammoth Lakes, California. By developing a cluster of rural projects in the Sierra Nevada-Cascade, West Biofuels’ professional staff can cost-effectively support each project’s ongoing operations and maintenance to ensure long-term sustainability and success.

The funds will help each rural community convert forest biomass into renewable energy to
• Provide low-carbon, reliable energy for three remote communities that also face the risk of wildfires
• Reduce carbon emissions using produced biochar that can also be sold in regional agricultural markets
• Provide an end-use and local market for biomass from forest thinning campaigns that are key to help prevent forest fires in the region

“We thank the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations for their support and investment,” said Kristen Decker, Chief Financial Officer of West Biofuels. “Our project addresses multiple commercialized end uses by deploying three community-scale bioenergy systems, converting biomass into 100% renewable electricity and biochar soil amendments.”

Burney, Mariposa, and Mammoth Lakes are small, remote, and mountainous communities often threatened by wildfires and faced with frequent power outages due to extreme weather. Each facility is targeted to generate three megawatts of reliable, clean electricity production by utilizing 28,000-35,000 dry tons per year of forest residuals.

Each project will offset up to 53,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually from fossil energy displacement, fire mitigation, and biochar sequestration. Each site plans to create 15 permanent and good-paying jobs to support the local community.

“This project represents a win-win for the community with both good jobs and providing sustainable renewable energy,” said Decker. "I want to thank our partners, including Fall River Resource District, Mariposa Biomass Project, Mariposa County Resource Conservation District, Whitebark Institute, and Momentum, as well as U.S. Forest Service, California Energy Commission, and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as they’ve helped our projects align local interests and standards for their respective communities." READ MORE