AutoblogGreen

The U.S. Department of Energy announced the recipients of the department's first round of cellulosic ethanol biorefinery project funding yesterday. Four small-scale projects will share $114 million of federal funds. The grantees are:

• ICM Incorporated of Colwich, Kansas will get up to $30 million for a plant to be built in St. Joseph, Missouri.
• Lignol Innovations Inc., of Berwyn, Pennsylvania will get up to $30 million for a proposed plant, to be built next to a petroleum refinery, in Commerce City, Colorado.
• Pacific Ethanol Inc., of Sacramento, California, will get up to $24.3 million for a plant coming to Boardman, Oregon.
• Stora Enso, North America, of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin will get up to $30 million for a plant in Wisconsin Rapids.

These plants will use a staggering variety of biofuelstocks: corn fiber, corn stover, switchgrass, sorghum, hard and soft wood residues, agricultural and forest product residues, and wood waste. You can read more details on each of these plants at the DOE website.

One interesting aspect of the DOE's announcement is that there was an "overwhelming response" to the solicitation for proposals and so the DOE will be offering a second round of funding this spring that will bring the DOE's funding to $200m. We know that GM and Coskata will be applying for some of these second-round grants. We'll be keeping an eye on who else applies and then wins.

Related:

• KL Process Design Group to supply cellulosic ethanol for ALMS
• Detroit 2008: GM and Coskata announce worldwide cellulosic ethanol partnership

[Source: DOE]