§ 4279.266 - Guarantee application scoring.

§ 4279.266 Guarantee application scoring.

Using the evaluation criteria identified in this section, the Agency will score each eligible Biorefinery application that meets the minimum requirements for technical and economic feasibility. A maximum of 125 points is possible. The Agency will award points based on its review and analysis of all application materials. Clarifications for the scoring on Biobased Product Manufacturing applications will be made available by a notice published in the Federal Register.

(a) Whether the Borrower has established a market for the Advanced Biofuel and the Biobased Products including Renewable Chemicals, as applicable. A maximum of 20 points can be awarded. Points to be awarded will be determined as follows:

(1) Degree of commitment of Off-Take Agreements. A maximum of 6 points will be awarded.

(i) If the Borrower has signed Off-Take Agreements for purchase for greater than 50 percent of the dollar value of off-take, 6 points will be awarded.

(ii) If the Borrower has signed letters of intent to enter into Off-Take Agreements, or comparable documentation, for the purchase for greater than 50 percent of the dollar value of off-take, or combination of signed contracts or agreements and letters of intent or comparable documentation, 4 points will be awarded.

(iii) If the Borrower has signed letters of interest to enter into Off-Take Agreements, or comparable documentation, for the purchase for greater than 50 percent of the dollar value of off-take, or combination of signed Off-Take Agreements, letters of intent, letters of intent or comparable documentation, 2 points will be awarded.

(2) Duration of Off-Take Agreements. A maximum of 6 points will be awarded.

(i) If the Borrower commits to enter into Off-Take Agreements prior to loan closing for purchase for greater than or equal to 50 percent of the dollar value of off-take for the period not less than the loan term, 6 points will be awarded.

(ii) If the Borrower commits to enter into Off-Take Agreements prior to loan closing for purchase for greater than or equal to 50 percent of the dollar value of off-take for the period not less than five years but less than the term of the loan, 4 points will be awarded.

(iii) If the Borrower commits to enter into Off-Take Agreements prior to loan closing for purchase for greater than or equal to 50 percent of the dollar value of off-take for the period not less than one year but less than five years, 2 points will be awarded.

(3) Financial strength of the off-take counterparty. A maximum of 4 points will be awarded.

(i) If the Borrower commits to enter into Off-Take Agreements prior to loan closing for purchase for greater than or equal to 50 percent of the dollar value of off-take with an off-take counterparty with a corporate credit rating not less than AA, Aa2, or equivalent, 4 points will be awarded.

(ii) If the Borrower commits to enter into Off-Take Agreements prior to loan closing for purchase for greater than or equal to 50 percent of the dollar value of off-take with an off-take counterparty with a corporate credit rating less than AA, Aa2, or equivalent, but not less than A-, or A3, or equivalent, 2 points will be awarded.

(iii) If the Borrower commits to enter into Off-Take Agreements prior to loan closing for purchase for greater than or equal to 50 percent of the dollar value of off-take with an off-take counterparty with a corporate credit rating less than A-, or A3, or equivalent, but not less than BBB-, or Baa3, or equivalent, 1 point will be awarded.

(4) Revenue dependency on tax credits, carbon credits, or other Federal or State subsidies. A maximum of 4 points will be awarded.

(i) If total of revenues from tax credits, carbon credits, or other Federal or State subsidies is less than or equal to 10 percent of the Project's total revenues on an annual basis, in the Borrower's base case of financial projections, 4 points will be awarded.

(ii) If total of revenues from tax credits, carbon credits, or other Federal or State subsidies is greater than 10 percent but less than or equal to 20 percent of the Project's total revenues on an annual basis, in the Borrower's base case of financial projections, 2 points will be awarded.

(iii) If total of revenues from tax credits, carbon credits, or other Federal or State subsidies is greater than 20 percent but less than or equal to 30 percent of the Project's total revenues on an annual basis, in the Borrower's base case of financial projections, 1 point will be awarded.

(b) Whether the area in which the Borrower proposes to place the Project, defined as the area that will supply the feedstock to the proposed Project, has any other similar facilities. A maximum of 5 points can be awarded. Points to be awarded will be determined as follows:

(1) If the area that will supply the feedstock to the proposed Project does not have any other similar facilities, 5 points will be awarded.

(2) If there are other similar facilities located within the area that will supply the feedstock to the proposed Project, 0 points will be awarded.

(c) Whether the Borrower is proposing to use a feedstock or biobased output of Biorefineries not previously used in the production of Advanced Biofuels or Biobased Products including Renewable Chemicals. A maximum of 10 points can be awarded. Points to be awarded will be determined as follows:

(1) If the Borrower proposes to use a feedstock previously used in the production of Advanced Biofuels and Biobased Product including Renewable Chemicals in a commercial facility, 0 points will be awarded.

(2) If the Borrower proposes to use a feedstock not previously used in production of Advanced Biofuels and Biobased Product including Renewable Chemicals in a commercial facility, 10 points will be awarded.

(d) Whether the Borrower is proposing to work with producer associations or cooperatives. A maximum of 5 points can be awarded. Points to be awarded will be determined as follows:

(1) If at least 50 percent of the dollar value of feedstock to be used by the proposed Project will be supplied by producer associations and cooperatives, 5 points will be awarded.

(2) If at least 30 percent of the dollar value of feedstock to be used by the proposed Project will be supplied by producer associations and cooperatives, 3 points will be awarded.

(e) The level of financial participation by the Borrower, including support from non-Federal government sources and private sources. A maximum of 20 points can be awarded. Points to be awarded will be determined as follows:

(1) If the sum of the loan amount requested and other direct Federal funding is less than or equal to 50 percent of total Eligible Project Cost, 20 points will be awarded.

(2) If the sum of the loan amount requested and other direct Federal funding is greater than 50 percent but less than or equal to 55 percent of total Eligible Project Cost, 16 points will be awarded.

(3) If the sum of the loan amount requested and other direct Federal funding is greater than 55 percent but less than or equal to 60 percent of total Eligible Project Cost, 12 points will be awarded.

(4) If the sum of the loan amount and other direct Federal funding is greater than 60 percent but less than or equal to 65 percent of total Eligible Project Cost, 8 points will be awarded.

(5) If the sum of the loan amount and other direct Federal funding is greater than 65 percent but less than or equal to 70 percent of total Eligible Project Cost, 4 points will be awarded.

(f) Whether the Borrower has established that the adoption of the process proposed in the application will have a positive effect on three impact areas: resource conservation (e.g., water, soil, forest), public health (e.g., potable water, air quality), and the environment (e.g., compliance with an applicable renewable fuel standard, greenhouse gases, emissions, particulate matter). A maximum of 10 points can be awarded. Points to be awarded will be determined as follows:

(1) If process adoption will have a positive impact on any one of the three impact areas (resource conservation, public health, or the environment), 3 points will be awarded.

(2) If process adoption will have a positive impact on two of the three impact areas, 6 points will be awarded.

(3) If process adoption will have a positive impact on all three impact areas, 10 points will be awarded.

(4) If the Project proposes to use a feedstock that can be used for human or animal consumption, 5 points will be deducted from the score.

(g) Whether the Borrower can establish that, if adopted, the technology proposed in the application will not have any economically significant negative impacts on existing manufacturing plants or other facilities that use similar feedstocks or biobased outputs of Biorefineries. A maximum of 5 points can be awarded. Points to be awarded will be determined as follows:

(1) If the Borrower has failed to establish, through an independent third-party Feasibility Study, that the production technology proposed in the application, if adopted, will not have any economically significant negative impacts on existing manufacturing plants or other facilities that use similar feedstocks, 0 points will be awarded.

(2) If the Borrower has established, through an independent third-party Feasibility Study, that the production technology proposed in the application, if adopted, will not have any economically significant negative impacts on existing manufacturing plants or other facilities that use similar feedstocks, 5 points will be awarded.

(3) If the feedstock is wood pellets, no points will be awarded under this criterion.

(h) The potential for Rural economic development. A maximum of 20 points will be awarded. Points to be awarded will be determined as follows:

(1) If the Project is located in a Rural Area, 5 points will be awarded.

(2) If the Project creates jobs through direct employment with an average wage that exceeds the County median household wages where the Project will be located, 5 points will be awarded.

(3) If the majority of feedstock to be utilized by the Project, on an annual basis, is harvested from the land, 10 points will be awarded.

(i) The level of local ownership of the facility proposed in the application. A maximum of 5 points can be awarded. Points to be awarded will be determined as follows:

(1) If Local Owners have an ownership interest in the facility of more than 20 percent but less than or equal to 50 percent, 3 points will be awarded.

(2) If Local Owners have an ownership interest in the facility of more than 50 percent, 5 points will be awarded.

(j) Whether the Project can be replicated. A maximum of 10 points can be awarded. Points to be awarded will be determined as follows:

(1) If the Project can be commercially replicated regionally (e.g., Northeast, Southwest, etc.), 5 points will be awarded.

(2) If the Project can be commercially replicated nationally, 10 points will be awarded.

(k) If the Project uses a particular technology, system, or process that is not currently operating at Commercial Scale as of October 1 of the fiscal year for which the funding is available, 5 points will be awarded.

(l) The Administrator can award up to a maximum of 10 bonus points:

(1) To ensure, to the extent practical, there is diversity in the types of Projects approved for loan guarantees to ensure as wide a range as possible technologies, products, and approaches are assisted in the Program portfolio; and

(2) To applications that promote partnerships and other activities that assist in the development of new and emerging technologies for the development of Advanced Biofuels and Biobased Products including Renewable Chemicals, so as to, as applicable, increase the energy independence of the United States or reduce our dependence on petroleum-based chemicals and products; promote resource conservation, public health, and the environment; diversify markets for agricultural and forestry products and agriculture waste material; and create jobs and enhance the economic development of the Rural economy. These partnerships and other activities will be identified in a Federal Register notice each fiscal year.