Rocklin — As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting and advocating for biomass, Pioneer Community Energy (Pioneer) announced today it is accepting applications through a statewide Bioenergy Market Adjusting Tariff (BioMAT) program for small bioenergy renewable generators. The BioMAT program originally was created by Senate Bill 1122 for investor-owned utilities. In 2021, Pioneer led the way for community choice aggregators (CCAs) to participate in the BioMAT program through the passage of AB 843.
The program is intended to provide above-market prices to encourage development of small-scale biomass or biogas projects from organic waste, wastewater treatment, agricultural byproducts, or sustainable forestry and wildfire mitigation practices. Participating generators who apply and receive approval would operate under a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved tariff and enter into a standard contract with Pioneer at a price set by a market-based mechanism. The CPUC approved the CCAs’ BioMAT Tariffs in April 2024.
Projects must meet the following criteria to be eligible for a BioMAT contract:
1) 5 MW or less in nameplate capacity, and a maximum contract capacity of 3 MW.
2) First brought online after June 1, 2013.
3) Interconnect to PG&E’s transmission or distribution system.
4) Received initial interconnection study results.
“Pioneer is committed to community reinvestment, and we are pleased to have led the way for CCAs to participate in a statewide BioMat program for small bioenergy renewable generators. We are optimistic the tariff will encourage the development of new bioenergy facilities that provide a reliable source of electricity, supports wildfire mitigation, and creates jobs in our region,” said Don Eckert, CEO, Pioneer Community Energy.
Project developers and/or biomass facility managers interested in learning more about the BioMAT program, including current pricing and available capacities, as well as access to registration, application, and program documents, are encouraged to visit https://pioneercommunityenergy.org/biomat/ to learn more. Pioneer is partnering with Accion Power to register applicants, process applications, administer program periods, and provide further information.
