Oklahoma Set to Plant First-Ever 1,000 Acre Switchgrass Field |
ARDMORE, Okla., April 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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."
For media inquiries concerning the Noble Foundation, please contact J.
Adam Calaway, Director of Public Relations, at 580.224.6209 or by e-mail at
jacalaway@noble.org. For other OBC-related media inquiries, contact Debbie
Anglin, Anglin Public Relations, at 405.840.4222.
Contributors to the Oklahoma Dedicated Energy Crop Demonstration Fields
Oklahoma Bioenergy Center (http://www.okbioenergycenter.org) 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. (http://www.noble.org),
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.
SOURCE The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
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CONTACT:
J. Adam Calaway, Director of Public Relations
of The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, +1-580-224-6209,
jacalaway@noble.org; of Debbie Anglin, Anglin Public Relations,
+1-405-840-4222, for the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center
