Kansas a frontrunner in cellulosic ethanol production
Sebelius praises news of federal support for Kansas biofuel project

Kansas is solidifying its position as a frontrunner in cellulosic ethanol production, Governor Kathleen Sebelius said today, thanks to the announcement that the U.S. Department of Energy will award up to $76 million to Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas to build a plant in the state.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our state.  The use of crop residues and other currently underutilized crops for energy production will help Kansas farmers and provide new sources of cleaner-burning fuel,” Sebelius said. 

Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas is one of six plants to share $385 million in funding from the Department of Energy.  The company plans to build a plant that will produce 11.4 million gallons of ethanol each year, plus enough energy to power the facility and an adjacent corn dry grind mill.  Each day the plant will use 700 tons of corn stover, wheat straw, milo, stubble, switchgrass and other feedstocks.

“Kansas is well-positioned to produce biofuels from cellulosic materials, which are particularly abundant here,” Sebelius said.  “This project also fits in well with our drive to grow the bioscience industry in Kansas.”

Sebelius, who has long supported the project, wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman last August.  She thanked the department for providing the financial incentives necessary to help provide the stability the cellulosic ethanol industry needs to meet the goals of displacing 30 percent of the nation’s transportation fuels with biofuels by 2030.

The Department of Energy news release is available online at http://www.energy.gov/news/4827.htm.

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