Coskata Signs EPC Contract for its First Commercial Ethanol Facility

Coskata Inc., Warrenville, Ill., USA, announced this week that it has issued a Letter of Intent with Fagen Inc., Granite Falls, Minn., for engineering, procurement, and construction of its first commercial cellulosic ethanol facility in Boligee, Ala., that will be designed around the Coskata technology. Fagen, and Harris Group Inc., Seattle, Wash., an advanced biofuels engineering firm, will lead an EPC process that will include in its scope the project detailed design, procurement, construction, and commissioning.

"After a rigorous selection process, we are pleased to announce that Fagen and Harris Group will work together to provide a facility that will be unmatched in quality, cost, and time to completion," said William Roe, CEO for Coskata. "We are confident that together with Fagen and Harris Group, we will demonstrate the value potential and long-term benefits of the Coskata technology in this exciting project."

Coskata received a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and is working on details that will be necessary to close financing for the project. The facility will convert sustainably harvested wood biomass into ethanol, and is expected to bring approximately 300 construction jobs and 700 direct and indirect jobs to Greene County, Ala.

Coskata's platform technology enables the low-cost production of biofuels and chemicals from virtually any carbonaceous material. Using anaerobic microorganisms and innovative bioreactor designs, its process combines the flexibility of gasification with the efficiency of biological conversion of syngas into fuels or chemicals.

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