West Biofuels lands $1.5M USDA grant for Hat Creek Bioenergy Facility
July 25, 2023 | Meghan Sapp
In California, West Biofuels, LLC 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 ood 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.
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Tags: California, USDA, West Biofuels