Butte County, California
The Butte County, California BDO Zone for Woody Biomass is rated ‘BBB’.
Rating Issue Date: April 24, 2024.
'BBB' ratings denote good prospective viability of Feedstock Supply and Infrastrcuture, and expectations of risk are currently low in the Zone. Capacity to support new biobased plant operations is considered adequate.
Butte County, CA holds an investment-grade BDO Zone ‘BBB’ Rating for Forest residuals, Sawmill residuals, Pulpwood. Issued in Apr 2024, the rating certifies approximately 648,000 gt/yr of reliable, low-risk biomass feedstock available within a 75-mile driving distance from Oroville, CA.
A ‘BBB’ rating is an investment grade rating, signalling a good, moderate-risk feedstock supply. It signals to developers, lenders, and investors that Butte County, CA’s feedstock supply has undergone rigorous, standardized due diligence across 100+ risk indicators, the same framework applied to every BDO Zone across North America.
Every BDO Zone Rating assesses a region across three dimensions, mapped as expanding radii around a candidate site.
- Feedstock surplus: Data indicating at least 50,000 tonnes per year of excess feedstock available to support typical intake of new biofuels manufacturing plants.
- Supply chain strength: Evidence supporting long-term commitment to supply both quantity and quality by local farmers, forestry companies, food waste generators, haulers and municipalities.
- Sound infrastructure: Suitable transportation, logistic, operating and supporting infrastructure to meet the requirements for new facility operations.
Assets & liabilities
- 223,000 bdt/yr of woody biomass available at low-risk
- Access to rail and seaports for potentially cost-efficient transportation
- Low risk of competition due to limited commercial market for small-diameter trees
- Potential access to large quantities of fuel reduction and fire-damaged salvage wood
- Drought and wildfire risk impacting biomass quality
- California's absence of pulp & paper industries leads to limited harvesting
- High cost of living and tight real estate market challenges labor attraction
Infrastructure & sites
- 43.29-acre site at 3050 South 5th Avenue; currently vacant but partially leased for forest debris processing
- Oroville Biomass Yard: 43 acres, redevelopable into medium-to-small biomass operations
- Seidenglanz Industrial Lands: 39 acres, former lumber mill
- Cal Oak Road Site: 15-acre and 10-acre parcels
- Highway 70 Industrial Park: 113 acres (former LP lumber mill)
Local grants & incentives
- Fast-tracked Permit Process (3-4 months)
- Federal Opportunity Zone tax credits
- California I-Bank Industrial Development Bonds
- California Recycle Market Development Zone loans (up to $2 million)
- California Competes Tax Credit
- Alliance for Workforce Development training and hiring assistance
Contacts
