Fulcrum BioEnergy Signs Two Waste-to-Ethanol Deals with WM and WCN

Date: January 6, 2011

Source: Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc.

Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc. (Pleasanton, CA), which is developing a $120 million waste-to-ethanol plant near Reno, NV, said has signed two deals with Waste Management and Waste Connections that will supply waste as feedstock for the operation. Both deals are set to commence once the plant begins operating in late 2012. Fulcrum did not disclose financial details of either deal. Fulcrum said the Sierra BioFuels plant will produce large volumes of low-cost transportation fuel and create more than 500 jobs in Northern Nevada while ultimately producing 10.5 million gallons (39.7 million litres) of ethanol annually and 16 megawatts of renewable electricity. Irving, Texas-based Fluor Corp. is building the plant. Fulcrum is in talks with the Department of Energy over terms of loan guarantees to help pay for the plant.

See also: "Waste Connections Partners with Fulcrum Bioenergy on Waste-to-Fuel," (www.wasteinfo.com/news/wbj20101130B.htm).


PRESS RELEASES

Fulcrum Bioenergy Announces Partnership With Waste Connections

  • Feedstock Agreement With Waste Connections Will Provide Municipal Solid Waste for Fulcrum's First Commercial-Scale Waste to Fuels Plant

PLEASANTON, Calif., January 6, 2011 - Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc., a leader in the next generation of advanced biofuels, announced today an earlier arrangement to partner with Waste Connections of California, Inc., for the supply of post-sorted municipal solid waste ("MSW") to Fulcrum's Sierra BioFuels Plant, the company's first commercial-scale production facility for converting waste into low carbon ethanol, renewable electricity and other high value chemical products.

"We are pleased to be partnering with Waste Connections, on this first-of-its-kind project," said Fulcrum's President and Chief Executive Officer E. James Macias. "Their support over the past couple of years has played a key role in the successful development of our Sierra BioFuels project and demonstrates their commitment to the environment. We look forward to working with Waste Connections on this milestone project that will convert household garbage that would otherwise be landfilled, into a clean, renewable transportation fuel," added Macias.

"We are proud to be a part of this exciting renewable energy project," said Waste Connections' President, Steve Bouck. "The Sierra BioFuels Plant is an example of how companies can work together to create economically and environmentally responsible solid waste management solutions and convert waste into a resource for clean energy," added Bouck.

Earlier this year, Fulcrum launched engineering activities with Fluor on the fully-permitted Sierra BioFuels Plant. With commercial operations planned for late 2012, the project is expected to be the Nation's first commercial-scale production facility for converting post-sorted MSW into ethanol, renewable electricity and propanol.

Last month, Fulcrum announced that the Sierra BioFuels Plant was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") to advance to the final phase of the DOE's Loan Guarantee Program. Fulcrum has received a detailed term sheet and has begun the negotiation process with a goal of closing and funding the loan during the first quarter of 2011. Following the completion of the financing, Fulcrum will immediately begin construction on the $120 million project located approximately 20 miles east of Reno, Nevada in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center in Storey County. The plant will provide the Reno market with a much needed low-cost, reliable and environmentally clean source of transportation fuel and will help stimulate economic growth in Northern Nevada by creating more than 500 new green jobs.

The Sierra BioFuels Plant is the first of several projects that Fulcrum is developing across North America. With a pipeline of opportunities that have a future capacity to produce over one billion gallons of ethanol annually, Fulcrum's process will produce low carbon ethanol that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 75% compared to traditional gasoline production and mitigates our country's dependence on foreign oil.

About Waste Connections

Waste Connections of California, Inc. is a subsidiary of Waste Connections, Inc., an integrated solid waste services company that provides solid waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services in mostly secondary markets in the Western and Southern U.S. Waste Connections serves more than two million residential, commercial and industrial customers from a network of operations in 27 states and provides intermodal services for the movement of containers in the Pacific Northwest. Waste Connections, Inc. was founded in September 1997 and is headquartered in Folsom, California.

About Fulcrum BioEnergy

Based in Pleasanton, California, Fulcrum BioEnergy is emerging as a leading company in the development of the next-generation of ethanol production in the United States. The privately-held company focuses on developing, owning and operating efficient, environmentally responsible facilities for converting municipal solid waste and other waste products to a much needed low-cost, reliable and environmentally clean renewable transportation fuel. Fulcrum BioEnergy is on track to become one of the first companies to commercially produce ethanol from municipal solid waste, creating a reliable domestic source of renewable fuels, reducing the Nation's dependence on foreign oil, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and relieving the pressure on existing and future landfills. For more information, please visit www.fulcrum-bioenergy.com.


PRESS RELEASE

Fulcrum Bioenergy Announces Second Long-Term MSW Feedstock Supply Agreement For Its Sierra Biofuels Plant

PLEASANTON, Calif., January 6, 2011 - Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc., a leader in the next generation of advanced biofuels, announced today that it has entered into a 15-year feedstock supply agreement with Waste Management of Nevada for the delivery of post-sorted municipal solid waste ("MSW") to Fulcrum's Sierra BioFuels Plant, the company's first commercial-scale production facility for converting waste into low carbon ethanol, renewable electricity and other high value chemical products. The agreement will provide feedstock for the plant's daily requirements, and will afford Fulcrum the flexibility to increase and expand the capacity of the Sierra BioFuels Plant.

The fully-permitted Sierra BioFuels Plant, located in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center outside of Reno, Nevada in Storey County, is scheduled to enter construction immediately creating more than 500 green jobs. When it begins commercial operations in late 2012, the plant will process household garbage into 10.5 million gallons of ethanol annually, providing the Northern Nevada market with a much needed low-cost, reliable and environmentally clean source of transportation fuel. The Sierra BioFuels Plant will also produce renewable electricity to be used by the plant and will have the capacity to produce propanol, a high-value chemical product used as an industrial solvent and chemical intermediate.

"By increasing the diversion of local waste, we are demonstrating a continued commitment to the environment and to the Northern Nevada community we serve," said Waste Management's Greg Martinelli.

"We are honored to be working together with Waste Management" said Fulcrum's President and Chief Executive Officer E. James Macias. "This feedstock agreement will be a key component in the success of our Sierra BioFuels project and will set the stage for the future expansion of the plant. Household garbage that would otherwise be landfilled will now be converted into clean, renewable transportation fuel to be used locally - it's a great story," added Macias.

About Waste Management

Waste Management of Nevada is a subsidiary of Waste Management based in Houston, Texas. Waste Management is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company's customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America.

About Fulcrum BioEnergy

Based in Pleasanton, California, Fulcrum BioEnergy is emerging as a leading company in the development of the next-generation of ethanol production in the United States. The privately-held company focuses on developing, owning and operating efficient, environmentally responsible facilities for converting municipal solid waste and other waste products to a much needed low-cost, reliable and environmentally clean renewable transportation fuel. Fulcrum BioEnergy is on track to become one of the first companies to commercially produce ethanol from municipal solid waste, creating a reliable domestic source of renewable fuels, reducing the Nation's dependence on foreign oil, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and relieving the pressure on existing and future landfills. For more information, please visit www.fulcrum-bioenergy.com.

For more information, contact:
Rick Barraza
Vice President of Administration
(925) 224-8244
rbarraza@fulcrum-bioenergy.com.

Sign up to receive our free Weekly News Bulletin