Five more companies lobby for Oregon energy loans

Five more companies have submitted applications for the Oregon Department of Energy's State Energy Loan Program. The companies will receive an initial review from the department's advisory committee next week.

The largest loan requested is for BioChar Global Solutions, an Ashland company that is seeking a $12 million loan to finance construction of a biomass waste facility in White City that would use a high-heat process called pyrolysis to generate electricity.

A Bend company, EBD Hydro LLC, is seeking $7.2 million from the loan program to finance the installation of a 5-megawatt hydroelectric facility near Madras.

ReVolt Technology LLC, which announced in April it received a $5 million stimulus grant to fund the development of its rechargable zinc-air battery technology, also applied for a loan. ReVolt is seeking an additional $5 million to design, demonstrate and manufacture its batteries. The location of the facility has not been determined, but the Swiss company has set up a temporary office in downtown Portland.

Two companies are applying for loans of less than $1 million for solar installations.

Falls Creek HP LP of Eugene is seeking a $499,000 loan to finance a roof-mounted solar array at the Food For Lane County facility. Morasch Meats, a Portland meat processing company, is seeking a $875,500 loan to finance a 185-megawatt solar array on a commercial building.

Solexant Corp., a thin-film solar company based in California, is seeking a $25 million state loan to finance a manufacturing facility in the Portland area. Solexant's application has already received an initial review by the advisory committee and has advanced in the approval process.

The committee meeting to review the five new applications is public and will be held in Portland on June 15.