USFS awards grant to Rollcast Energy’s biomass project in US

Rollcast Energy announced that the US Forest Service (USFS) has awarded a grant of $250,000 for its 50MW biomass project located in LaGrange, Georgia.

The 50MW Greenway Renewable Power project received the grant under USFS’ Woody Biomass Utilization Grant Program.

The company is planning to use the funds to engineer the project in detail and maximise the plant’s capacity to use low value biomass feedstock such as the logging residue and residues from hazardous fuel reduction operations in the forests.

Rollcast Energy president Penn Cox said the awarded a grant by the USFS will help the company move ahead with its second woody biomass project in Georgia.

"This grant will help us utilize more low grade woody biomass from thinning and hazardous fuel treatment operations," Cox added.

USFS Southern Region biomass coordinator Dan Len said the agency is encouraged by the quality proposals it received for its
Biomass Utilization Grant.

"The Greenway Renewable Power Project will accomplish multiple important objectives for our agency in central Georgia and Alabama," Len added.

"These objectives include increased use of woody biomass from thinning and hazardous fuels treatments, improved market for this low value material and increased use of woody biomass for wood to energy."

The company has plans to start the construction on the Greenway biomass project next year and begin the operations at the plant in 2015.

Rollcast Energy is a US based company that owns, develops and operates bio-energy projects and use local waste biomass to produce energy.