This project aims to prevent local forest fires while providing low-carbon, stable energy for three communities in the sierra nevada mountains of california

Burney, mariposa, and mammoth lakes are small, remote, mountainous communities threatened by wildfires and faced with frequent power outages due to extreme weather. State and federal programs have improved the management of dry, wildfire-fueling forest biomass through forest thinning campaigns and other land management activities. However, locally commercialized end uses for captured biomass are still limited. To address this issue, this project plans to deploy three community-scale bioenergy systems, transforming culled biomass into 100% renewable electricity and biochar soil amendments. Each facility aims to produce 3 MW of reliable, renewable electricity, utilizing 28,000-35,000 dry tons per year of residuals from sustainable forest management programs. The resulting biochar is anticipated to sequester 11,939 tons of carbon equivalent emissions per year and will likely be sold in regional agricultural markets. As part of its community benefits plan, each site plans to create 15 new, permanent, good-paying jobs aimed at hiring from the local community. As a commitment to early, meaningful engagement, the project performer, west biofuels, participated in multiple local hearings to allow community members to voice their opinions, concerns, and suggestions on the proposed project. West biofuels engaged with stakeholders, including fall river resource conservation district, mariposa biomass project, mariposa county resource conservation district, and whitebark institute as well as U.S. Forest service and calfire to provide information on the project and determine how the project can align with community interests and standards. To date, the town of mammoth lakes and the inyo national forest have provided community partnership documents or letters of support to advocate for the project. If this project is awarded, DOE funding could accelerate commercialization of this technology in the U.S. To demonstrate how biomass culled from wildfire management activities can provide a low-carbon, resilient energy source.