Ethanol plant builder BC International received a $2.8 million grant from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to develop a 23 million gallon ethanol plant in Gridley, north of Sacramento in northern California.

As envisioned, the Gridley plant would dispose of some of the 1.5 million tons of rice straw waste in an environmentally preferred method to burning, which is being phased out in the rice-growing region of California.

Under the present plan, the Gridley plant would use 300,000 tons of rice straw annually and produce 23 million gallons of ethanol. An estimated 165 new jobs, both at the plant and in related industries, would be created once the plant is operational.

More information on the Gridley, California plant is available at www.bcintlcorp.com