Ardmore, Oklahoma
April 24, 2008
Today, Oklahoma secured land for
the world’s largest stand of switchgrass devoted to cellulosic
ethanol production. Acknowledging concerns over ethanol
production impacting food prices, Oklahoma advances switchgrass,
a different type of energy crop, which has higher energy output
than corn and does not compete with human or animal food
sources.
The Oklahoma
Bioenergy Center (OBC), a state-initiative championed by
Gov. Brad Henry, secured land to enable the planting of more
than 1,100 acres of production-scale demonstration fields for
cellulosic energy crops, such as switchgrass and sorghum to
contribute to the United States’ bioenergy effort. Planting will
take place within the next 45 days.
The critical piece of this effort is 1,000 acres of switchgrass
which will be planted near Guymon, Okla. in the state’s
panhandle. This switchgrass field will be the first of its size
anywhere in the world focused on biomass production. Additional
acreage of sorghum and switchgrass will be planted near
Chickasha and Maysville in central Oklahoma.
“Rising food costs recently resulted in a pushback against
renewable fuels. However, cellulosic ethanol from sources like
switchgrass and sorghum are non-competitive with food sources
for animals and humans and remove cellulosic ethanol from this
discussion,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Energy David
Fleischaker. “More so, this dedicated land will allow us to
demonstrate the advantages of switchgrass.”
Switchgrass is a perennial grass that is naturally drought
resistant and grows on marginal lands. The OBC demonstration
fields will provide academia and industry a unique “living
laboratory” to understand the production and long-term impact of
bioenergy crops, as well as experiment with new production
techniques and critical harvest, collection and transport
methods. The fields also will serve as a “living classroom”
where agricultural producers, policymakers and the general
public can see and experience these crops, which will play a key
role in the United States’ energy future.
“These fields are vital for the continued development and
understanding of dedicated energy crops,” said Michael A.
Cawley, president and chief executive officer for the Noble
Foundation, which will directly manage the Guymon site. “This is
more than just a research project that ends in the field. We
have a market endpoint.”
A cellulosic biorefinery currently being constructed by Abengoa
Bioenergy in Hugoton, Kan., will be less than 35 miles from
Guymon, and the switchgrass fields in the panhandle will provide
material to this biorefinery. The Abengoa Bioenergy facility is
expected to be operational in 2010.
“The value of the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center to the cellulosic
ethanol industry cannot be overstated,” said Gerson Santos-Leon,
executive vice president, Abengoa Bioenergy New Technologies.
“The early and aggressive establishment of 1,000 acres of
switchgrass will provide researchers, scientists, agricultural
producers and industry – not only in Oklahoma but across the
nation – with important information that will help establish the
emerging cellulosic ethanol industry.”
Revenues received from the sale of biomass will be reinvested in
the OBC for additional bioenergy and biofuel research.
The 1,000 acres of switchgrass leverages the extensive
agricultural infrastructure and farming expertise located in
Oklahoma’s panhandle.
“The agricultural producers in Oklahoma’s panhandle have a rich
heritage of ingenuity and excellence in farming and ranching,”
said Gus Blackwell, Speaker Pro Tempore, District 61. “Their
experience will certainly provide great assistance to this
project.”
This undertaking is made possible through a lease arrangement
with Hitch Enterprises, Inc., one of the region’s most renowned
agriculture operations. A family owned and managed agricultural
company, Hitch Enterprises has conducted extensive cattle
feeding, cattle production, pork production and agricultural
operations near Guymon for 119 years.
The participation of Hitch Enterprises enables the concentrated
establishment of the 1,000-acres in one geographic location,
which will enable critical research in the areas of harvest,
collection and transportation that challenge the emerging
biofuels industry.
Signed into law in 2007, the OBC brings together Oklahoma’s
comprehensive higher education institutions – the University of
Oklahoma (OU) and Oklahoma State University (OSU) – with the
world-class plant and agricultural research of
The Samuel Roberts Noble
Foundation to initiate a biofuels industry within the state.
The OBC demonstration fields will benefit from the involvement
of a contingent of national organizations. In addition to
Abengoa Bioenergy, Ceres Inc., based in Thousand Oaks, Calif.,
will provide seed and agronomic direction for the establishment
and management of the fields. Idaho National Laboratory, the
lead feedstock supply and logistics laboratory for the
Department of Energy, will provide expertise in harvest,
collection and processing of biomass in coordination with
Abengoa Bioenergy.
The Noble Foundation also will manage the Maysville sites.
Oklahoma State University will manage the Chickasha site.
“The 1,000 acres of switchgrass marks another monumental event
in Oklahoma’s heritage of energy production.” Fleischaker said.
“I’m confident there are many more to come.”
Contributors to the Oklahoma Dedicated Energy Crop
Demonstration Fields
Oklahoma Bioenergy
Center is a publicly-funded initiative by the State of
Oklahoma developed as part Governor Brad Henry's vision for
tomorrow's Oklahoma. Through the collaboration of its
contributing institutions, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation,
University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, the OBC
intends to deliver practical outcomes to enable the competitive
and sustainable production of liquid biofuels in Oklahoma, and
contribute to the national research effort to enable the United
States to achieve prescribed levels of petroleum independence.
Abengoa Bioenergy is Europe’s largest ethanol producer and fifth
largest in the United States. To complement its current U.S.
production capabilities, Abengoa Bioenergy USA, based in St.
Louis, Mo., is building a biorefinery from the Oklahoma-Kansas
border. The proposed Hugoton biorefinery will occupy about 400
acres west of Hugoton. This facility is expected to produce
about 13 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol a year, using 930
tons per day of cellulosic material, and another 88 million
gallons of starch ethanol. The cellulosic feedstock will be
comprised of crop residues (e.g., corn and milo stover, and
wheat straw) and switchgrass.
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), based in Idaho Falls, Idaho, is
the lead feedstock supply and logistics laboratory for the
Department of Energy’s Office of Biomass Programs. INL has
conducted considerable work in the area of feedstock gathering
and processing for crop residues (wheat straw).
Ceres, Inc., based in
Thousand Oaks, Calif., is a leading developer of high-yielding,
dedicated energy crops that can be planted as feedstocks for
cellulosic ethanol production. Its development efforts cover
switchgrass, sorghum, miscanthus, energycane and woody crops.
The Samuel Roberts Noble
Foundation, Inc., headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is an
independent, nonprofit institute conducting plant science
research and agricultural programs to enhance agricultural
productivity, which influences agriculture regionally,
nationally and internationally. The Noble Foundation also
provides grants to nonprofit charitable, educational and health
organizations. |
|
