Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Range Fuels Taps Partner For Feedstock

Broomfield, Colorado-based clean energy firm Range Fuels is tapping partner Ceres Inc. for feedstock for its Soperton, Georgia cellulosic ethanol plant, according to Ceres. Ceres said that the two are trialing switchgrass cultivars and high-biomass sorghum hybrids for use at the Range Fuels plant. Ceres explained that it provided seed of its new, high-yielding varieties on demonstration plots at Range Fuels' Soperton plant site, and that those crops will be assessed for several years by the firms. Range Fuels is developing green energy plants using cellolosic ethanol processes; the firm is venture backed by Passport Capital, BlueMountain, Khosla Ventures, Leaf Clean Energy Company, and Pacific Capital Group. Range Fuels raised $100M in April towards constructoin of the Soperton, Georgia plant. Ceres is based in Thousand Oaks, California.