BlueFire Renewables (formerly BlueFire Ethanol) has announced that it has finalized and signed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract to build a cellulosic ethanol facility in Fulton, MS. The $296 million biorefinery, which includes a $100 million biomass power plant as part of the facility, will be constructed by Wanzek Construction, a subsidiary of MasTec, Inc. This was an important last step for the company to receive both its DOE and USDA Loan Guarantee Program funding.

“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.”

This is the company’s first plant that has successfully achieved all the elements needed to begin construction of a commercial scale cellulosic facility sourcing non-food cellulosic waste as its primary feedstock. Once operational, the plant, which will specifically use local wood and green waste, will produce approximately 19 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year.

“We are excited about our involvement in the 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.