In late 2015, we reported Red Rock Biofuels will produce approximately three million gallons of low-carbon, renewable jet fuel per year (at that time, from 2017 through 2024) for FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp, in an agreement announced by the companies today. FedEx joined Southwest Airlines in purchasing Red Rock’s total available volume of jet fuel from its first commercial plant, which is scheduled to break ground this fall in Lakeview, Ore. and will convert approximately 140,000 dry tons of woody biomass into 15 million gallons per year of renewable jet, diesel and naphtha fuels.
Since then, we’ve been waiting for the financing to close. Good news is that Red Rock’s first refinery is funded in part by a $70 million Title III DPA grant from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Navy, and the plant is expected to produce diesel to meet military market needs.
CEO Terry Kulesa gave this illuminating overview of the technology’s progress and promise at ABLC 2017.
