U.S. DOE funds Enerkem’s Mississippi biorefinery

Dec. 8, 2009, Montreal – Enerkem Corporation, Enerkem’s wholly owned U.S. affiliate,
has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to receive US $50
million in funding for the construction and operation of a waste-to-biofuels
facility to be located in Pontotoc, Mississippi. Enerkem’s application is one
of four that were selected for the larger demonstration-scale project category
of the Recovery Act – Demonstration of Integrated Biorefinery Operations
Program.

“This [U.S.] federal investment in the biorefinery project at Pontotoc has the
potential to add to the job and economic diversity of North Mississippi,” says
Senator Thad Cochran. “At the same time, this biomass venture strengthens our
state’s stake in the growing drive to generate renewable and alternative energy
sources.”

Enerkem Corporation will build and operate the 300-ton/day biorefinery in Mississippi,
which will produce 10 million gallons of ethanol annually, as well as green
chemicals, from sorted municipal solid waste and wood residues, and will reduce
the pressure to landfill. Since the announcement of its Mississippi project
last March, the company has made substantial progress on the environmental
permitting process and has further developed the project with its local
partners: Three Rivers Planning and Development District and Three Rivers Solid
Waste Management Authority. The project is expected to create 130 jobs. The
company also intends to double the size of its Mississippi biorefinery plant by
adding a second module, bringing the total production capacity to 20 million
gallons.