Senator McConnell: Washington County, Ky. Selected Site for New DoE Plant

Press Release

Senator McConnell: Washington County, Ky. Selected Site for New DoE Plant

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) has selected Washington County, Ky. to be the site of a small-scale biorefinery project.

The Department of Energy plans to invest up to $30 million over the next four years to build the plant, which is expected to be operational by 2010. The plant will convert a wide range of cellulosic feedstocks, including corncobs, to renewable fuels and use by-products of this process to create value-added agriculture goods.

The Department of Energy will partner with Alltech Inc., a Kentucky company with a proud tradition of animal health research, the University of Cincinnati and the University of Kentucky to design, construct, and operate the plant.

"I am pleased that the Department of Energy has chosen Kentucky as the site for this important energy project. Kentucky has a rich history in agricultural initiatives, making it uniquely suited for this venture," McConnell said. "I am also appreciative of Alltech's enthusiasm for this significant energy initiative and its continued support for our state's economic development."

Today's announcement is part of more than $1 billion in federal funding alone that DOE has announced since 2007 for multi-year biofuels research and development projects.

Source