Emeryville’s Amyris gets $25m recovery grant
By Josh Richman
Saturday, December 5th, 2009 at 10:42 am in Barbara Lee, economy, energy.
Emeryville-based Amyris Biotechnologies Inc. will get a $25 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for a pilot plant producing renewable fuel – a diesel substitute – by fermenting sweet sorghum.
The Energy Department doled out $564 million yesterday to 19 such bio-refinery projects nationwide; Amyris was the only Bay Area recipient. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack hope the projects will help lay a foundation for full commercial-scale development of a U.S. biomass industry, reducing the nation’s foreign-oil dependence while creating jobs.
Amyris’ plant will also be able to co-produce lubricants, polymers and other petro-chemical susbstitutes. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, said the plant “would create approximately 75 new jobs in the area and propel Amyris’ cutting-edge renewable fuel technology.
“My district employs the brightest talent to harness the potential of transformational technologies to tackle our energy and global climate challenges. This work spurs economic development throughout the nation and provides direct benefits for the economy and workers throughout the East Bay,” Lee said.
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