Global Clean Energy Holdings Inc. and the USDA have signed a contract for the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Grant for their Climate-Smart Camelina project. With the signing, work can officially begin on their $30 million pilot project to measure and validate the advantages of Camelina sativa (camelina) as an ultra-low carbon nonfood renewable fuel feedstock.

Climate-Smart Camelina is a large-scale pilot project to implement, measure, and validate the climate advantages of camelina in both rotational (e.g., on fallow acres) and winter crop (e.g., in a double-crop rotation) production systems. The project will accelerate farmers’ adoption of camelina grown to produce feedstock for renewable biofuels and chemicals without causing land-use change and while increasing carbon capture in the soil. Further, the project will support market development to provide additional revenue streams to growers and provide a premium for this low carbon intensity crop.

“We’re excited to begin this important work to help prove what we have known internally for years – that camelina has the potential to be the lowest carbon intensity feedstock option on the market,” Chief Executive Officer of Global Clean Energy Richard Palmer said. “The environmental benefits of camelina are substantial, and with the data collected from this effort, the growth of camelina adoption can accelerate along with the confidence of growers.”

The project entails a range of measurements at different spatial and temporal scales integrated into metrics which will evaluate the production efficiency and carbon intensity of the biofuel generated, as well as soil carbon sequestration and general agronomic best practices. The key highlights for this project are the use of multiple methods of data collection to cross reference approaches, calibrate sensors, and validate models for long-term low-cost scalability. In the end, this project aims to offer several benefits to growers and the environment, including:

•Increasing overall soil health;

•Increasing the total carbon sequestered within soils;

•Decreasing the carbon intensity associated with growing camelina;

•Obtaining more accurate measurements to prove environmental benefits of growing camelina;

•And providing growers with access to affordable and reliable measurements.

Global Clean Energy owns the world’s largest camelina patent and intellectual property portfolio. Their wholly owned subsidiary, Sustainable Oils Inc., contracts directly with farmers to grow camelina currently in key regions of the U.S. including Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington. Camelina grain is grown for use as a source for Global Clean Energy’s ultra-low carbon renewable fuels produced from their Bakersfield Renewable Fuels refinery in California.

The USDA Climate-Smart Commodities announcement can be accessed here.