Date: October 5, 2010
Source: BlueFire Renewables, Inc.
BlueFire Renewables Inc. (Irvine, CA) said it signed a deal with Wanzek Construction Inc., a unit of MasTec Inc. to build its first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant for a fixed cost of $296 million, thus meeting the third critical condition for its Department of Energy loan guarantee application for the project. BlueFire is seeking to build plant in Fulton, MS, that would convert forest residue, paper pulp and other woody material into 19 million gallons a year of cellulosic ethanol. Thus far there are no commercial-scale cellulosic plants in the U.S., forcing the US EPA to cut the initial 100-million-gallon blending requirement for 2010 to 6.5 million gallons. Industry experts expect the EPA to grant such waivers for years until large plants can be built. Wanzek and engineering partner Zachary Engineering will essentially scale up by 20 times a plant BlueFire built years ago in Japan. It will take about 24 months to build the 25-megawatt equivalent facility. BlueFire has already signed 15-year agreements to receive cellulosic feedstock from Cooper Marine & Timberlands for roughly $25 per ton and to sell all of its ethanol production to Tenaska BioFuels LLC.
See also: "BlueFire Renewables Signs Key Contracts for Ethanol Facility in Fulton, MS," (www.wasteinfo.com/news/wbj20100928G.htm).
PRESS RELEASE
BlueFire Renewables Selects MasTec to Provide a Turn-Key, Lump Sum EPC Contract for Fulton, MS Cellulosic Ethanol Facility
BlueFire Renewables, Inc. (BFRE) , a company focused on changing the world's transportation fuel paradigm through the production of renewable fuels from non-food cellulosic wastes, announced that it has finalized and signed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for its planned cellulosic ethanol facility in Fulton, MS. The facility will be engineered and built by Wanzek Construction, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of MasTec, Inc. (MTZ) , for a fixed price of $296 million which includes an approximately $100 million biomass power plant as part of the facility.
The contract is negotiated in a manner to be appealing for non-recourse project bank financing and, more importantly, serves as the final key project contract agreement to move forward with both the DOE and USDA Loan Guarantee Programs.
"Having recently announced off-take and feedstock agreements for our Fulton, Mississippi plant, BlueFire Renewables has now satisfied all stated requirements to move forward on an agreement with either the DOE or USDA for a loan guarantee to complete financing of the project," stated Arnold Klann, CEO of BlueFire Renewables, Inc. "BlueFire now stands poised to finalize the government negotiations and affect the financing and construction of this commercial-sized cellulosic ethanol plant."
"We are excited about our involvement in the Fulton project with BlueFire Renewables and look forward to a long-term relationship. BlueFire's proprietary technologies, which convert non-food cellulosic waste into fuel, should bring environmentally friendly facilities and increased long-term employment to the State of Mississippi. We are glad to be a part of the initial roll-out and we look forward to working with BlueFire on a number of other opportunities," noted Jose Mas, MasTec, Inc.'s Chief Executive Officer.
This contract is a home run for BlueFire and for the industry. What MasTec and BlueFire have created and achieved with this contract sets the framework for many other BlueFire projects to be built with certainty.
The Fulton, MS project will allow BlueFire to utilize green and wood wastes available in the region as feedstock for the ethanol plant that is designed to produce approximately 19-million gallons of ethanol per year.
About BlueFire Renewables, Inc.
BlueFire Renewables, Inc. was established to deploy a commercially ready, patented and proven Concentrated Acid Hydrolysis Technology Process for the profitable conversion of cellulosic waste materials ("Green Waste") to renewable fuel sources, including Cellulosic Ethanol, Biodiesel, BioJet Fuel, and Drop-in Directs. BlueFire is the only cellulose-to-fuel company worldwide with demonstrated production of Biofuels from urban trash (post-sorted MSW), rice and wheat straws, wood waste and other agricultural residues.
BlueFire received an increase to its Grant totaling $88 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in December of 2009. BlueFire's biorefineries will be located near markets with high demand for ethanol and will use locally available biomass. This should dramatically reduce delivery costs and increase biofuel supplies, while providing a unique waste processing technology to help America's cities better manage the increasing problem of overflowing landfills. For more information, please visit www.BFREINC.com.
If you would like to receive regular updates on BlueFire Renewables, please select this following link: www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1437&to=ea&s=0.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements about BlueFire Renewables expectations, including future revenues and earnings, and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as the term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. BlueFire's actual results could differ materially from expected results. BlueFire undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances. Should events occur which materially affect any comments made within this press release; BlueFire will appropriately inform the public.
This press release includes statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Reform Act"). BlueFire Renewables, Inc. claims the protection of the safe-harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Reform Act. These forward-looking statements are often characterized by the terms "may," "believes," "projects," "expects," or "anticipates," and do not reflect historical facts. Specific forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to: our successful development and deployment of ethanol production facility or facilities, impact of the company's expansion plan, and new business development success, future financial results, the impact of competitive products or pricing from technological changes, the effect of economic conditions and other uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained herein involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations contained in any such forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to: failure to raise sufficient capital to construct the facilities, failure to manage operating expenses or integrate new facilities and/or technologies, each of which could have a material impact on our business, our financial results, and the company's stock price. These risks and other factors are detailed in the Company's regular filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Most of these factors are difficult to predict accurately and are generally beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made and BlueFire Renewables, Inc. does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.
For more information, contact:
Richard Klann
BlueFire Renewables, Inc.
rgklann@bluefireethanol.com.
949.588.3767, ext. 411
Media Contact:
Laura Finlayson
Beckerman
lfinlayson@beckermanpr.com.
201-465-8007
Investor Relations:
Scott Kitcher
EcoFin Consulting
skitcher@ecofinconsulting.com.
949.435.2056
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