Gov. Joe Lombardo signed a declaration of understanding with Denmark to explore opportunities to work together on renewable energy projects, including a 200-acre biofuel project in Lincoln County.
The declaration of understanding that the governor signed last month with Denmark Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen targets the establishment of a renewable energy powered industrial park that aims to attract $260 million in investment and create 150 jobs, according to a Tuesday statement released by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
In Lincoln County, the available site has access to railroads and the ability to transport biofuel internationally. There is also access to 1.3 million acres of trees — pinyon pine and western juniper — within a 50-mile radius, so the project could expand, the office said.
“This innovative and collaborative technology project produces clean renewable energy while simultaneously utilizing trees that need to be thinned out to maintain a healthy forest,” Lombardo said in the statement. “This is an exciting opportunity, and we look forward to more potential collaboration between Denmark and Nevada in the future.”
The Bureau of Land Management considers pinyon pine and western juniper trees as invasive, abundant and flammable, and they were designated to be cut down or used in the processing of biofuel, according to the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
“The trees have no commercial lumber value, yet they have a high fuel content and are ideal as a lucrative feedstock for thermochemical processing into biofuels,” the statement said.
Biofuel is any fuel derived from biomass, such as plant, algae or animal waste. Bioenergy is the largest source of renewable energy globally, accounting for 55 percent of renewable energy and more than 6 percent of the global energy supply, according to the International Energy Agency.
Denmark is considered a global front-runner in renewable energy and committed to a 100 percent renewable energy supply by 2050, according to Nordic Energy Research.
Besides the industrial park, which will be powered by renewable energy, in Lincoln County, Lombardo’s collaboration with Denmark will also explore opportunities for creating similar parks in other areas of Nevada. The agreement with Denmark comes just a few months after Lombardo signed a lithium trade agreement with Ontario, Canada, with the hope of boosting trade and investments in lithium extraction and green energy development.
“Denmark is at the forefront of renewable energy developments and closer collaboration between Nevada and Denmark can only strengthen our joint quests to create economic growth and well-paid jobs – while also doing good for the environment and our planet,” Møller Sørensen said in the statement.
