Pioneer Community Energy Secures Six Biomass Power Purchase Agreements

Pioneer Community Energy (Pioneer), a locally owned, not-for-profit electricity provider headquartered in Rocklin, Calif., has signed six long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with renewable energy developers West Biofuels and Phoenix Energy for biomass energy projects located throughout Northern California. Collectively valued at nearly $517 million, these 20-year agreements support the development of renewable generation resources that advance California’s clean energy goals while helping address the growing challenge of catastrophic wildfire risk.

The projects were approved under California’s Bioenergy Market Adjusting Tariff (BioMAT) program before the program’s December 31, 2025 closure, positioning Pioneer among the few Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) to successfully secure BioMAT contracts.

“These agreements demonstrate how local energy providers can leverage public policy, market opportunities, and long-term planning to deliver meaningful benefits for both customers and communities,” says Pioneer Chief Operating Officer Sam Kang. “Pioneer worked to expand BioMAT participation to CCAs, and we are proud to see that effort result in tangible investments in baseload renewable energy infrastructure, including projects located within both our current and future service areas.”

Established by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) pursuant to Senate Bill 1122, BioMAT was designed to promote the development of small-scale bioenergy facilities by providing long-term, fixed-price contracts that support project financing and construction. 

The six projects secured by Pioneer include five facilities being developed by West Biofuels and one facility being developed by Phoenix Energy. The projects include five sustainable forest management and wildfire mitigation biomass facilities located in the counties of Nevada, Mariposa, Plumas, Yuba, and Calaveras, as well as one agricultural and organic waste facility in Butte County.

Forest sourced biomass facilities play a particularly key role in California’s wildfire mitigation strategy by converting forest residues and excess woody biomass into renewable electricity. By creating a productive use for forest fuel loads, these projects help support forest health initiatives while providing dispatchable renewable generation that complements intermittent renewable resources.