On June 15, 2012, the Department of Energy (DOE) Biomass Program issued a long-anticipated funding opportunity announcement for innovative pilot- and demonstration-scale advanced biorefineries. As discussed in a recent WSGR Alert, for the foreseeable future, this opportunity is expected to be the only mechanism of its kind to provide funding for the development of pilot- and demonstration-scale biorefinery projects. It is also an integral platform for DOE’s contribution to the tri-agency advanced biofuels initiative.

DOE’s overall objective under this funding opportunity is to advance technologies that will stabilize the cost of transportation for the American consumer while improving the environmental impact of transportation fuel use, reducing dependence upon imported petroleum, and increasing U.S. employment in the production of fuels and chemical products from renewable resources. Under this program, DOE will fund innovative pilot- or demonstration-scale integrated biorefineries that can produce hydrocarbon fuels that meet or are likely to meet military specifications for JP-5 (jet fuel primarily for the Navy), JP-8 (jet fuel primarily for the Air Force), or F-76 (diesel). These facilities must be integrated such that the finished product can be used directly as a fuel.