Viaspace signs Giant King Grass contract for bio electricity and advanced biofuels in Imperial Valley California

Viaspace signs Giant King Grass contract for bio electricity and advanced biofuels in Imperial Valley California

Mar 24, 2014  | Energy 

Viaspace signs Giant King Grass contract for bio electricity and advanced biofuels in Imperial Valley California
(Photo by: Viaspace)

Viaspace Inc. today announced that the company has signed a contract with Mesquite Lake Water and Power LLC to provide Giant King Grass for a biomass power plant and a companion advanced biofuels facility in Imperial, California.

Mesquite Lake Water and Power, LLC is a participating company in Mesquite Lake Energy Park, LLC (ML Energy Park).

Mr. Rodney L. Williams, managing member of Mesquite Lake, stated, "Our company is developing a biomass energy park in the fertile Imperial Valley of California.  We first purchased the closed 18 MW biomass power plant in Imperial, California. We plan to restart the power plant (ML Energy Park Plant #1) and fuel it with a combination of wood waste and Giant King Grass.  The power plant was damaged in the 2010 earthquake, but this damage will be repaired. The power plant is connected to the grid and was fully permitted and operational in 2010."

Williams continued, "Another part of the ML Energy Park will be the Mesquite Lake Cattle Manure Power Plant which is adjacent to Plant #1. This power plant is also closed at this time. It was designed to gasify cattle manure and produce 16 MW of electricity. We plan to convert this facility (Plant #2) to produce advanced biofuels using the dedicated energy crop Giant King Grass as the feedstock. Between the two plants, there is plenty of land for our energy park. We are connected to the grid and there is an adjacent natural gas pipeline. We are experienced in agriculture and have access to land to grow Giant King Grass. The Imperial Valley has ideal weather for Giant King Grass and there is plenty of water for irrigation. I am excited to see the development of this new dedicated energy crop in the Imperial Valley."

VIASPACE CEO, Dr. Carl Kukkonen, reported, "We are happy to be working with Mr. Williams and his team.  This project is basically in our own backyard.  We are already growing Giant King Grass in Southern California and we believe it will grow even better in the Imperial Valley which has more heat and a longer growing season. Giant King Grass is a C4 plant which means that it thrives in hot weather as long as it has water available. We expect to be growing in Imperial Valley very shortly."

VIASPACE Chairman, Dr. Kevin Schewe commented, "This contract represents a significant and timely planned expansion of what we have always envisioned for Giant King Grass to be used as a multipurpose, high-yielding, continuously renewable, biomass platform. In other words, Giant King Grass will be used for direct combustion to generate bio electricity in ML Energy Park Plant #1 and will also be used to create advanced green energy biofuels in ML Energy Park Plant #2. With this contract, VIASPACE has expanded its U.S. domestic business footprint to California and Arizona to use Giant King Grass for bio electricity, biofuels and animal feed. We are also expanding internationally and will soon announce those new projects as well."

Dr. Schewe concluded, "This is great news for VIASPACE and its shareholders and we are truly enthusiastic and excited to be working with Mr. Williams and Mesquite Lake Water and Power. This project is moving forward now and we will have more to announce regarding our progress in Imperial Valley in the coming weeks and months." 

Via Viaspace
Image,video ©: Viaspace