Range Fuels Breaks Ground on the Nation's First Commercial Cellulosic Ethanol Plant

Plant to Produce Ethanol from Wood through Low-Impact, Environmentally-Friendly Approach

Soperton, Ga – Today Governor Sonny Perdue announced Georgia’s stake in renewable energy with Range Fuels’ groundbreaking of the nation’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant. Cellulosic ethanol is produced from pine trees and other plant matter.  Colorado-based Range Fuels will create almost 70 new jobs and invest several hundred million dollars in the Treutlen County facility, which is expected to create an additional 350 indirect jobs.

“Georgia is proud to partner with Range Fuels to lead the nation in delivering cellulosic ethanol as a solution to America’s dependence on foreign and fossil fuels,” said Governor Perdue. “Our abundance of natural resources, as well as our growing bioenergy research and development community and access to global markets firmly establish Georgia at the forefront of the national movement to a higher level of renewable energy.”

During the groundbreaking ceremony in Soperton, which was attended by U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman, Governor Perdue also marked the state’s commitment to cellulosic ethanol and other forms of renewable energy by proclaiming Georgia as The Bioenergy Corridor for the nation.

Range Fuels’ Soperton plant will use wood and wood waste from Georgia’s pine forests and mills as its feedstock. The facility will initially provide 20 million gallons per year of ethanol and will have the capacity to produce more than 100 million gallons per year. Construction of the first 20 million-gallon-per-year phase will be completed in 2008. Range Fuels is one of six companies selected by the Department of Energy for financial support in building a commercial cellulosic ethanol plant, and is the first to break ground.

“The state of Georgia has provided us with an excellent opportunity to locate our first plant using its abundant, renewable and sustainable forest refuse as feedstock. Our technology transforms the wood waste from Georgia’s millions of acres of woodlands into ethanol, a key source of transport fuel,” said Mitch Mandich, CEO of Range Fuels. “Range Fuels’ focus on green, renewable energy will ultimately reduce greenhouse gases, promote energy independence, and create new jobs.”

Range Fuels technology is self-sustaining and uses the same feedstock to make ethanol as it does to operate its plant, minimizing its reliance on fossil fuels and the consequent production of greenhouse gases. Through Range Fuels’ innovative process for producing cellulosic ethanol, the Soperton plant will use a quarter of the average water required by corn-based ethanol plants per gallon of ethanol produced. In addition, the proximity of the facility to both wood supplies and ethanol markets will minimize energy expended in supplying the facility with feedstock and providing ethanol to consumer markets.

“We welcome Range Fuels to Treutlen County and are proud our workforce and forest resources will play a part in supporting the initiative to develop new sources of renewable energy,” said John Lee, executive director of the Treutlen County Development Authority. “This is the biggest economic development project in our county’s history, and we look forward to partnering with the company as it establishes roots in the community and becomes a national model for cellulosic energy production.”     

Range Fuels is a prime example of a company attracted to Georgia for the state’s abundance of natural resources, specifically commercially forested land, as well as its growing bioenergy research and development base and market access. These factors not only secure the state’s energy independence, but also define Georgia as the nation’s Bioenergy Corridor and lead source for the renewable energy produced from biofuels.

About The Bioenergy Corridor

The Bioenergy Corridor encompasses research and development, academic, as well as public and private partnerships in its northern region. The Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority and the Georgia Forestry Commission, which collaboratively lead the state’s recruitment efforts of investors and bioenergy production companies, are partners in the initiative. The partnership will eventually include academic and various public-private enterprises to foster bioenergy development and commercialization.

Georgia’s growth in the bioenergy sector includes recent developments such as a grant awarded to the University of Georgia, in conjunction with various researchers by the U.S. Department of Energy to research new and innovative ways to develop biofuels with a focus on cellulosic ethanol. Georgia Institute of Technology, which has separate partnerships with C2 Biofuels and Chevron, is developing technologies that will assist in turning biomass into energy.  Biomass refers to the tree and plant matter used to make cellulosic ethanol.

“Georgia has been working with a number of potential bioenergy businesses within the past year,” Governor Perdue said. “I look forward to announcing more companies locating here in the near future.”

To learn more about The Bioenergy Corridor, visit Georgia’s Web site at www.georgia.org.

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