California Energy Commission awards USD 9.6m for biofuel, electric vehicle projects

(ADPnews) - Nov 8, 2010 - The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved on Friday eight grants totalling USD 9.6 million (EUR 13.4m) for local biofuels production and electric vehicles and batteries manufacturing projects.

The state funding, secured under CEC's Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Transportation programme, would be combined with USD 12 million in private funding, CEC said.

Under the grants, Great Valley Energy LLC received USD 1.99 million for a feasibility test to create biofuel from a crop new to the region. The city of San Jose was awarded USD 1.9 million to set up and demonstrate a system turning waste into biogas that can be a transportation fuel. East Bay Municipal Utility District won USD 1 million to make 300,000 gallons of biodiesel a year at a wastewater treatment plant in Oakland. The Western States Oil Company received USD 69,200 to convert an 8,000-gallon retail tank for premium petrol into a wholesale biodiesel tank. TransPower was awarded USD 1 million for a feasibility study on the production of large electric drive trucks by 2013. Mission Motor Co won USD 505,400 aid to commercialize the production of its prototype electric vehicle components. Leyden Energy Inc received USD 2.96 million for a line to assemble its lithium-ion cells into 10 battery packs per month.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.396)

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