Mascoma gets government funding for fuel plant

Mascoma Corp., a Boston company focused on technologies that enable the creation of fuel from non-food biomass feedstocks, said today it has received $49.5 million in government funding.

The funds, $26 million from the US Department of Energy and $23.5 million from the state of Michigan, will be applied toward the development of a cellulosic fuel production facility that uses non-food biomass to convert wood chips into fuel; the facility will be located in Kinross, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Mascoma said.

The decision to build the plant in Kinross was "based largely on the support provided by the state of Michigan, the availability of extensive sustainable feedstock in forests and other agricultural biomass resources in the region, and the expertise available through the Michigan-based project partners and workforce," Mascoma said.

The facility is expected to produce 40 million gallons of ethanol and other fuel products per year, said the company, which also noted that General Motors Corp. and Marathon Oil Corp., both Mascoma investors, are providing support for this project.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)