Secretary Moniz Dedicates Innovative Commercial-Scale Cellulosic Biofuel Plant

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz on October 17 delivered remarks at the opening of Abengoa's second-generation cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, Kansas. In 2011, the plan received a $132 million loan guarantee from the Energy Department's Loan Programs Office to support construction of the commercial-scale facility. The plan also previously received a $97 million cost-shared grant investment from the Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy before the loan guarantee was awarded.

"Every gallon of cellulosic ethanol produced and used to fuel our vehicles reduces the impact of harmful greenhouse gas emissions by greater than 60% as compared to conventional gasoline," said Secretary Moniz in the Energy Department news release. "The Department is committed to supporting innovative technologies, from an early idea in the lab to a full, commercial-scale source of clean energy."

Once operating at full commercial-scale, the biorefinery will produce up to 25 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year-enough to avoid 132,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually and equivalent to taking 28,000 vehicles off the road. The cellulosic ethanol produced at the Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas facility, located about 90 miles southwest of Dodge City, Kansas, will be sold into the ethanol commodity market and used to fuel light duty vehicles.

Abengoa's Hugoton facility will be the nation's 3rd commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol biorefinery to come on line. The facility uses a proprietary process involving enzymes to turn cellulosic biomass, including non-edible corn stalks, stems and leaves, into fermentable sugars that are then converted into transportation fuels. The state-of-the-art facility, which uses cellulosic biomass harvested within a 50-mile radius of the plant, will also feature an electricity cogeneration component that will generate up to 21 megawatts of electricity-enough to power itself and provide excess clean, renewable power to the local community. See the Energy Department news release.

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