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By RUSSELL RAY

rray@tampatrib.com

Published: January 16, 2009

Verenium Corp. and Tampa-based Lykes Bros. unveiled plans Thursday to build the nation's first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in Central Florida.

The plant will produce up to 36 million gallons of ethanol a year, using a special feedstock dubbed "energy cane," a variety of sugar cane bred specifically for ethanol production. The $250 million project will be built on a 20,000-acre site east of Brighton in Highlands County.

Cambridge, Mass.-based Verenium said construction will begin later this year and it expects to begin commercial production in 2011. The plant will be Florida's first to produce ethanol.

Cellulosic ethanol can be made from plants, citrus peels or woody materials and is an alternative to ethanol made from corn, an important food crop
"Cellulosic ethanol is much more efficient than traditional ethanol production technologies," said Tim Eves, Verenium's vice president for commercial development.

Cellulosic ethanol is more energy efficient than corn ethanol because it doesn't require as much water and fossil fuel-based fertilizer.

Verenium will use a strain of bacteria developed by University of Florida researcher Lonnie Ingram to convert the energy cane into sugar to make ethanol. Verenium is the only company licensed to use Ingram's patented technology.

The plant, which will be built on farm land owned by Lykes Bros., will be fueled with energy cane grown by Lykes Bros.

"It will be totally surrounded by a contiguous farm, where we will be growing the energy crop," Eves said. "We picked Florida because of its great growing climate, and Lykes is a great partner."

Verenium received a $7 million Farm to Fuel grant from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to help fund the project.

Reporter Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870.

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