Planning commission approves special-use permit for biochar plant near Delano

Tulare County planning commissioners on a voice vote approved Special Use Permit PSP25-033 on a 6-0 vote with one commissioner absent, allowing construction of a biochar manufacturing facility on a portion of a 39.91-acre parcel near Delano.

The facility will be sited at 2115 Road 144, roughly two miles north of County Line Road and about a half-mile east of State Highway 99, according to the county staff presentation. Emily Gage, a project planner with the Tulare County Resource Management Agency, told commissioners the proposal would place the plant on a five‑acre portion of the parcel and would include a 20,000-square-foot metal building with a 6,50-square-foot entry canopy, receiving canopies and ancillary structures for a total footprint of about 23,150 square feet.

Gage said the project proposes three continuous slow‑pyrolysis reactors to convert almond shell and other agricultural residues into biochar. "The project consists of the installation and operation of three continuous pyrolysis reactors side by side to manufacture biochar from unusable portions of byproduct almond shell generated at the Treehouse Almonds huller facility and from local and regional almond shellers," Gage said. She said integrated wet scrubbers and baghouses are included to control gaseous and particulate emissions and that project emissions are not expected to cause noncompliance with San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District or California Air Resources Board rules.

Mayo Ryan, identified at the hearing as chief executive officer of Sitos Group and the project applicant, told commissioners his company prioritizes producing biochar for use in farming and expects the plant to be largely self-sustaining for heat. "We're a fairly unique company in that as a biochar company, our priority is farming... slow pyrolysis is a very nice way to make customizable biochar for specific soil types," Ryan said, adding the project would produce byproduct heat that could be used for dryers or electricity.

County staff reported the plant would process roughly 26,000 tons per year of feedstock and produce an estimated 8,000 tons per year of biochar. Gage told the commission the reactors are expected to operate about 8,000 hours per year, with water used for quenching and a small amount of propane required for start-ups; she estimated up to about 2,028 gallons of propane per year for restart cycles. Gage also said a prior single-family dwelling on the parcel was demolished in 2022 and that the parcel is under a Williamson Act (land conservation) contract.

Commissioner Wayne Millies moved to approve a categorical exemption consistent with the California Environmental Quality Act and conditionally approve PSP25-033; Bill Whitlatch seconded the motion. The commission voted 6 yes, 1 absent.

The permit includes conditions of approval from Tulare County Fire Department, Public Works and Engineering, Environmental Health Services, Building Department and Planning Branch; staff said no comments were received from the Delano‑Earlimart Irrigation District during the public notice period. The planning commission record shows a 10‑day public comment period prior to the hearing and no written comments for or against the project.

The decision authorizes the special use permit as described; any appeals or next steps to the Board of Supervisors were not specified at the hearing.