DENVER—Two Canadian companies plan to build an $80 million cellulosic ethanol plant in Grand Junction.
The partnership between Lignol Energy Corp. and Suncor Energy would produce 8,500 gallons of ethanol a day and employ between 30 and 45 permanent workers when the plant opens in the next two or three years.
Ross MacLachlan, Lignol’s president and chief executive, spoke Friday to participants in the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation exchange trip.
Companies are in a race to develop the first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, which wouldn’t require valuable food sources such as corn in their production. Lignol and Suncor plan to use wood, possibly from trees damaged by pine beetles, and wood residue from two Western Slope lumber mills.
Lignol plans to test its technology at a pilot plant near Vancouver, British Columbia, scheduled to open next year. The Grand Junction plant, which would be one-tenth the size of a commercial facility, would test the companies’ ability to scale up to a full-blown factory.
MacLachlan said a $30 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy will help pay for the plant.
“It’s very important we get the plants right, not just the technology, but the economics,” he said.
The companies had considered building the plant in Commerce City, where Suncor has a refinery.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
