By MPCO Staff
The California Energy Commission is offering up to $36 million in grants to help food producers reduce energy use and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The grants are funded through the Food Production Investment Program (FPIP), which is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that uses cap-and-trade dollars to help reduce GHG emissions, strengthen the economy, and improve public health and the environment.
Food manufacturing is an industrial sector that traditionally has been highly energy- and carbon-intensive. Food processing plants account for more than 3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent of annual GHG emissions in California, according to the California Air Resources Board.
FPIP helps food producers adopt commercially available and emerging energy-efficiency, decarbonization, and renewable energy equipment upgrades or processes. It also funds technologies that support grid reliability during net peak periods.
“This program provides essential support to California food producers who are seeking to reduce costs and be part of the climate solution by adopting innovative projects that save energy and shrink their carbon footprint,” said Jonah Steinbuck, director of the CEC’s Energy Research and Development Division.
The program is open to all California food processors and related support facilities. Projects funded under FPIP must be located in California. The minimum funding amount for each project is $500,000, and the maximum amount is $5 million.
Since FPIP was established in 2018, the CEC has awarded more than $117.8 million for 56 projects in 21 counties across the state.
The application deadline is April 26. More resources, including a recording of the February 6 pre-application workshop, are available on the FPIP web page.