Wildfire Risk Expected to Decrease Following New Tule River Partnership

Tule River Economic Development Corporation with support from the California Department of Conservation will partner with Kore Infrastructure to develop a biofuels facility in Porterville, California. The facility will convert forest biomass into to carbon-negative energy.

Reducing Wildfire Risk

The biofuels facility will help solve a major challenge in California: reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires. Wildfires have become all too common in California, caused by a changing climate and deficient forest management practices. As a result, forest biomass consisting of dead and dying plant matter or tree material can accumulate on forest floors. Forest biomass can increase risk for forest fires. For this reason, two of the largest insurance companies in the country to discontinue writing policies in California. Additionally, the facility will help remove transportation sector emissions. In fact, the transportation sector is the nation’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. 

Innovative Technologies Reduce Wildfire Risk

Using Kore’s propriety technology, the partners will address these challenges by taking away the dead, dying, and diseased trees. These materials can become fuel for forest fires. Then, they will convert the material into carbon negative UltraGreen Hydrogen™ and biocarbon. 

“Given the recent record breaking global temperatures, innovative solutions to ease the effect of climate change are crucial,” said Cornelius Shields, Founder and CEO, Kore Infrastructure. “We are proud to partner  with the Indigenous leaders at Tule River Economic Development Corporation to introduce our unique technology that can reduce wildfire risk and restore the health of Sierra Nevada forests, enhance climate resiliency, encourage energy independence, and help decarbonize transportation in the state of California.” 

When deploying the technology, the project will remove and process 48 tons per day of dead dying, and diseased trees. Presently, the Tule River Economic Development Corporation currently manages 57,000 acres of Sierra Nevada Forest. The Corporation is also entering into a joint stewardship agreement with the US Forest Service to manage another 325,000 acres.

Dennis Ickes, CEO of Tule River Economic Development Corporation said, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Kore Infrastructure to support and scale the vision of our renewable energy campus with the production of carbon-negative hydrogen that sustains our local economy. This project will improve the health of the forests we manage, generate renewable energy, and help enhance the economic  independence of our community.”

California Supporting the New Biofuels Facility

Significantly, the California Department of Conservation has also awarded Kore a $500 thousand grant for the project. Due to the project focus on biomass, the Department of Conservation awarded the grant under the Forest Biomass to Carbon-Negative Biofuels Pilot Program. 

David Shabazian, Director of California Department of Conservation said, “We congratulate Kore and look forward to our ongoing collaboration. Converting forest biomass waste into carbon-negative energy is a critical part of achieving California’s climate goals while reducing wildfire hazards, improving watersheds and supporting sustainable local economies in the region.”

The partners plan to begin construction by early 2024, with commercialization achieved by the second half of 2025. California is studying Kore’s model for use by several projects throughout its Central Valley.

Learn More

To learn more about Kore Infrastructure’s technology and operations, visit koreinfrastructure.com.

To learn more about the Tule River Economic Development Corporation, visit tuleriveredc.com.