Biomass Energy
EnEnergy [website], headquartered in Australia, with operating plants in the United States and Italy, has commercialized a Norwegian University breakthrough process for producing bio-ethanol from bio-mass at 4 times the throughput of current technologies. The combination of ultra-cheap remote land with saline water tables Down Under allows for a massive scale CO2 negative fuel source through the cultivation of Sorghum or the bamboo subspecies Arundo Donax that thrives on semi-saline water sources (i.e., on land that is otherwise unusable).
Over $5m plus time and institutional expenditure have been invested to date in R&D and pre-commercialisation efforts. The Aussie government's South Australian Research and Development Institute [Link] has made major contributions.
Most critically, Australia's national security is at stake, whereby the country imports all liquid fuels from Singapore with only a 13 day average supply. Any upheaval in the Suez or with Indonesia, China, Philippines, USA or Malaysia would immediately lead to energy shortages across the nation. This vulnerability increases the likelihood the government will continue to support the project and going forward in a multitude of ways.
ENEnergy can produce ethanol with a US$55/barrel minimum gross margin.
✓ US$25/bbl production cost - including biomass generation at remote Australian locations, 60% minimum GM on US$80 wholesale price.
✓ Proven process and technology- Profitable operators in USA and Italy producing > 5 million bbl/p.a.
✓ Profitability of foreign operators limited by high cost of biomass access, which ENEnergy reduces by 80%, through use of cheap land and use of saline water for irrigation with particular bamboo species in western Australia.
✓ Additional unique technology that accelerates process by factor of 4.
✓ Limitless potential project development - land abundance and climate in Australia and elsewhere with similar weather attributes.
Seeking $50 million seed round + $400 million for plant construction. Production of ethanol, diesel, jet fuel, lignin and butanol 3 years after securing investment capital.