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Planning commission approves special use permit for Delano biochar facility
Summary
Tulare County planning commissioners approved a special use permit and CEQA exemption for a biochar facility proposed near Delano, a project proponent said would process almond shells into biochar and renewable energy and pursue carbon removal certificates.
The Tulare County Planning Commission voted to conditionally approve Special Use Permit PSP25-033 and a CEQA categorical exemption for a proposed biochar facility near Delano, accepting staff findings that the project fits a cogeneration exemption. The motion passed 6-1.
Staff said the facility would occupy about five acres of a roughly 39.91-acre parcel at 2115 Road 144, west of Road 144 and about 2 miles north of County Line Road. Emily Gage, project processor with the Tulare County Resource Management Agency, told commissioners the proposal calls for a roughly 20,000-square-foot metal building, multiple canopies and support structures and three continuous slow‑pyrolysis reactors to manufacture biochar from almond shell and similar agricultural residues.
The county presentation said the reactors would operate about 8,000 hours per year, consume up to 26,000 tons per year of organic feedstock and produce roughly 8,000 tons of biochar annually. Staff described control equipment that would be installed: integrated wet scrubbers to manage gaseous emissions and baghouses for particulate matter. Gage said the project is expected to comply with San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and California Air Resources Board requirements and that federal EPA guidance exempts similar systems from Clean Air Act permitting requirements.
Mayo Ryan, identified as the applicant's CEO, answered commissioners' questions during public comment. Ryan described the company's technology as slow pyrolysis and said the business model prioritizes producing tailored biochar for farming, with renewable energy generation and carbon removal certificates as secondary benefits. "Our machines only produce two things, a vast quantity of byproduct heat and high‑quality biochar," Ryan said, adding that the heat could be used to dry agricultural products or generate electricity for co‑located operations.
Ryan said the plant would use primarily almond shell collected under contracts with local and regional shellers; other feedstocks such as walnut and pistachio shell, municipal organic wastes and forest residues are also possible. He said the company expects the reactors to use about 40 gallons per hour of water per unit for temperature control and quenching, with on‑site storage in a 5,000‑gallon tank. Startups require propane; staff estimated roughly 2,028 gallons of propane per year for startup cycles.
Commissioners moved and seconded approval of a CEQA exemption under Title 14, California Code of Regulations, section 15329 (Class 29, cogeneration at existing facilities) and conditionally approved PSP25-033. Wayne Millies made the motion and Bill Whitlatch seconded. The vote was recorded as 6 yes, 1 absent.
The commission’s action was limited to the land‑use entitlement and the categorical CEQA exemption claimed by staff; project permits and compliance with air and building codes remain subject to separate review and agency approvals.
