Governor's Conference on Biofuels Set Sept. 11, 2006 -- Learn the latest news and developments in the biofuel industry by attending the two-day Oklahoma Governor's Conference on Biofuels, Oct. 3-4, at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. A variety of presenters from federal and state agencies and coalitions and foundations dedicated to the development of alternative transportation fuels will be on hand. The conference fee is $20 per person and includes lunch, all sessions, and all conference materials. Reports will cover the following: - The Oklahoma Biofuels Initiative;
- Report on the ongoing Oklahoma biomass resource study;
- Noble Foundation's development of a dedicated energy crop;
- Biorefinery construction in Oklahoma;
- Federal and state initiatives for biomass and biofuel production;
- Petroleum and automotive industries' commitment to alternative fuels;
- Impacts and opportunities for fleet managers, end users and marketers;
- Advances in feedstock conversion technology.
For more information call 800-203-5494. Agenda
Register online USDA Invests $17.5 Million in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Sept. 6, 2006 - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns recently announced the award of more than $17.5 million in renewable energy and energy efficiency program grants to 375 recipients in 36 states, including Oklahoma. According to Johanns, the grants will directly promote energy savings and increased energy production throughout rural America. The 2002 Farm Bill authorized the Renewable energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements program. Grant recipients include agricultural producers, rural small businesses, or individuals. The seven Oklahoma projects receiving awards were: - Splatters Paintball and Specialities, $48,563, for a new HVAC, double pane storefront glazing and windows, standard double-glazed skylights, and insulation;
- House of Flowers, $9,396, HVAC, awning, storefront framing and glazing;
- Fritsche Rental Properties, $10,603, HVAC, roof insulation, glazing of windows, and an awning;
- James Johnston, $11,900, windows and glazing, HVAC, and roof insulation;
- Broadway Square LLC, $15,688, replace 102 windows;
- Shawnee Beauty College, $12,500, replace windows, doors, lighting fixtures, and installing a pitched insulated roof;
- Merle Norman, $2,113, HVAC and install awning on storefront.
For more information about this grant program or to find out how you can apply for the next round, visit www.rurdev.usda.gov.
Enid, Shattuck Ethanol Plants PlannedSept. 5, 2006 - Citing excellent rail service and grain facilities, Dallas-based Orion Ethanol recently announced plans to build plants in Enid and Shattuck. Construction on the Enid facility should start this month, with the Shattuck plant's construction beginning about 60 days later, says Patrick Barker, Orion's Chairman and CEO. Both plants will cost about $50 million to build. "We chose the two areas because they each have a grain facility and because they have such excellent rail service and prospects for disposal of the distillers' grain," Barker says. Each plant will have a payroll of about $900,000, employ 30 people initially, and produce about 55 million gallons of ethanol per year. Production will likely expand to about 110 million gallons at each plant within the next few years. Orion partnered with Illinois-based Robert Johnson Grain Co., and both of Orion's Oklahoma ethanol plants will be built at existing Johnson Grain facilities. Enid is also home to a proposed 55-million-gallon plant by Oklahoma Ethanol, a joint venture between the Oklahoma Farm Bureau and Oklahoma City-based oil company Chaparral Energy. Cushing Energy Complex ProposedAug. 17, 2006 - Hoping to create more jobs throughout the region, Cushing wants to develop an energy park that would include a crude oil refinery, a coal gasification power plant, ethanol and biodiesel plants, and research and development facilities. A subsidiary of Tulsa-based SemGroup, the Sac & Fox Nation, and M&M Energy Group of Florida have teamed up to develop the project. Looking for 700 to 2,000 acres, the Sac & Fox Nation plans to acquire land for the energy park. The proposed energy park stems from congressional passage of last year's energy bill, which included the Tribal Energy Resource Act. The act provides assistance, including loan guarantees, to tribes that develop renewable energy. Although a crude oil refinery may not be as likely as some of the other proposed projects, construction on an ethanol or biodiesel plant could start within the next few months or shortly after land for the park is purchased, says Kevin Foxx, Executive Vice President and COO of SemGroup.
Noble Foundation Reports on Biofuels EffortsAug. 9, 2006 -- In recent months, national media have reported extensively about the potential role of ethanol in lessening the United States' dependency on gasoline.
Ethanol is a subject that residents of North Texas and Oklahoma largely hear about from other parts of the country - there are few places to purchase ethanol/gasoline blends in this area, and ethanol is not a product produced in these states any measurable quantities. Why?
Find out more
Free Web Tools to Calculate Farmers' Operating Costs Available
Aug. 4, 2006 -- A website featuring three Energy Estimator tools to save energy and conserve resources was recenlty made available to farmers by the National Resources Conservation Service. With these free tools, farmers can:
- Use the Irrigation Energy Estimator tool to estimate potential energy savings associated with pumping water from irrigation;
- Use the Nitrogen Energy Estimator tool to calculate potential cost savings related to nitrogen use on the farm;
- Use the Tillage Energy Estimator tool to estimate diesel fuel use and costs in the production of key crops and to compare potential energy savings between conventional tillage and alternative tillage systems.
To access the tools, click here. For quickly comparing the cost of using propane gas to the cost of using other energy sources in operations, check out the Ag Propane Cost Estimator at www.agweb.com/propane_calc.asp. For more useful energy information, check out www.okcommerce.gov/energy.
State Incentives Attract Biodiesel CompanyJuly 31, 2006 - State incentives that give tax credits for biodiesel production got the attention of Houston-based Nova Energy, which expects to announce an Oklahoma location for its newest production facility within the next several months. The company specifically cited House Bill 1398 approved by the Legislature and signed by Governor Brad Henry in 2005. The bill provides a tax credit of 20 cents per gallon of biodiesel fuel. According to J.D. McGraw, a Del City native and president and CEO of Nova Energy, the company wants to open one to two biodiesel plants in Oklahoma and has narrowed its search to three sites. Nova Energy has an agreement with ConAgra Trade Group to supply the vegetable oil and animal-based feedstock for its Oklahoma refinery or refineries. ConAgra Trade Group has also agreed to buy the biodiesel fuel produced. The facilities, which the company hopes to have operational in 2007, could produce between 120 million and 240 million gallons of biodiesel each year. Ethanol Group to Conduct Equity DriveJuly 24, 2006 - Oklahoma Sustainable Energy (OSE) recently received approval from the Oklahoma Security and Exchange Commission to conduct an equity drive for funds to build an ethanol plant in Enid. According to Terry Detrick, OSE chairman and president, building the plant in Enid represents the group's first priority. However, he says, the group's overall focus involves "advocating for development of a vibrant and viable renewable biofuels industry in Oklahoma." OSE expects the Enid plant to create about 35 jobs and annually convert about 20 million bushels of corn and grain sorghum into 55 million gallons of fuel grade ethanol. The plant will be owned by Oklahoma Ethanol, a limited liability company formed as joint venture between OSE and Oklahoma City-based Chaparral Energy.
PSO, OG&E to Build New Power Plant July 18, 2006 -- PSO and OG&E plan to join forces to build a new 950-megawatt, coal-fueled electricity generating unit at the site of OG&E's existing Sooner plant near Red Rock, in north central Oklahoma. Under the agreement, OG&E plans to construct the Red Rock Generating Facility using design technology that offers greater efficiencies and lower emissions than other pulverized coal plants.
PSO will own 50 percent of the new unit, OG&E will own about 42 percent and the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA) will own about 8 percent. Although final cost estimates for the new facility have not been determined, preliminary cost estimates are about $1.8 billion. The facility is expected to be operational in 2011. The Red Rock facility will be constructed using best available control technology (BACT) including flue gas desulfurization (commonly called a scrubber) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to limit emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Based on the goal of achieving the ultra-supercritical design, the new Red Rock facility is expected to be the cleanest unit of its size using coal from the Powder River Basin. Syntroleum to Sell Pentagon Alternative FuelJuly 3, 2006 - Tulsa-based Syntroleum, which has a patented process for converting natural gas and coal into synthetic fuel, recently signed a contract to deliver 100,000 gallons to the Department of Defense (DOD) for testing and evaluation. Syntroleum is the first company to provide fuel to the DOD's Assured Fuels Initiative, a program charged with improving the supply of domestic aviation fuels. The fuel is being produced at Syntroleum's gas-to-liquids demonstration plant at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa. Military aircraft at Tinker Air Force Base and at other locations around the country will be testing and evaluating the fuel.
Partnership Formed to Enhance Switchgrass Fuel Potential June 6, 2006 - The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation of Ardmore and Ceres Inc., a California-based company, recently announced a collaborative effort to create switchgrass varieties to serve both Oklahoma landowners as a cash crop and refiners as a fuel source.
Researchers from both organizations will work to create varieties of switchgrass that will grow in sufficient quantities to serve as biomass fuel and meet the needs of refiners. Switchgrass, a native Oklahoma plant, contains enormous amounts of sugar and shows significant potential for ethanol production.
Ceres is a privately held plant biotechnology company using gene technologies to enhance crops for energy production and other purposes. Biodiesel Plant Planned for Tulsa's Port of CatoosaJune 2, 2006 - Oklahoma's biodiesel industry received another celebrity endorsement this week when a group led by Barry Switzer, former University of Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys football coach, pledged $6 million to help build a $30 million refinery at Tulsa's Port of Catoosa. The announcement comes two months after Willie Nelson and Morgan Freeman helped dedicate the state's first biodiesel plant in Durant. The Catoosa refinery will use mostly Oklahoma soybeans, and when fully operational, will employ 19 full-time workers. Biodiesel drew Switzer's attention because of its economic potential for Oklahoma farmers and diesel consumers, he says. "This is the future of energy," Switzer says. "Biodiesel is something that will be more energy efficient, run clean, burn clean, and require less maintenance in diesel engines. I think it's great for agriculture in the state. And, it's great for the energy industry." Oklahoma Energy Secretary David Fleischaker agreed that biodiesel can work well with the state's existing energy industry, displacing foreign oil and not domestic crude. "I see them as absolutely complementary," Fleischaker says. "We need to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil both for national security reasons and for economic reasons." More Oklahoma Energy NewsMay 19, 2006 - PSO Dedicates Blue Canyon II Wind Farm
May 4, 2006 - OG&E Wind Farm Gains Regulatory Approval
Mar. 20, 2006 - State Ranks 5th in Nation for Wind Power
Feb. 14, 2006 - OG&E Needs to Produce More Juice from Wind Power: Customers Like Saving $8 a Month
Feb. 6, 2006 - Share the Warmth: Gas Prices Still High: ONEOK Donates $600,000 to Service Areas
Jan. 30, 2006 - Energy Hog Campaign Launches Website for Grown-Ups
Dec. 28, 2005 - OG&E Plans to Increase Wind Power
Dec. 14, 2005 - Oklahoma Harnessing Wind Energy at Impressive Pace
Nov. 22, 2005 - Biodiesel Plant Opens in Chelsea Today
Nov. 17, 2005 - State Fuel Cell R&D Shows Promise
Oct. 24, 2005 - Oklahoma's Devon Energy Named One of the Best Workplaces for Commuters
Oct. 18, 2005 - Oklahoma Leads the Nation in Alternative Energy Growth, R&D
Oct. 17, 2005 - Noble Foundation Receives Grant for Ethanol Production Research
Oct. 13, 2005 - 2006 Fuel Economy Guide Released
July 29, 2005 - A Straw House
July 14, 2005 - Factory To Be Fueled by Landfill Gas
July 13, 2005 - ACOG Launches Incentives Program for Selling Ethanol
June 16, 2005 - Earth Biofuels To Begin Construction of Biodiesel Plant in Durant |
The Oklahoma State Energy Office strives to increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources across the state by providing information, training, and technical assistance to energy users and developers. Most of the projects/programs administered by the State Energy Office are federally funded through the U.S. Department of Energy's State Energy Program (SEP). 
Led by Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism Natalie Shirley, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce is the primary economic development entity in the state. Our mission is to increase the quantity and quality of jobs in Oklahoma. We do that by attracting and growing businesses, building strong communities, encouraging the growth of knowledge-based industries, and ensuring an available, skilled workforce.