Ardent Energy Group Secures 15,000 Hectares in Ethiopia for Cultivation of Biofuel Source and Development of Processing Facility

Ardent Energy Group Secures 15,000 Hectares in Ethiopia for Cultivation of Biofuel Source and Development of Processing Facility

Ardent Energy Group of Elk Grove California USA and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is building a complete farm to fuel supply chain using non-edible biological feedstock. The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the government of Ethiopia to transfer 15,000 hectares of land for the cultivation of jatropha and castor as a fuel source.

Sacramento, CA (Advertiser Talk) 13-Jul-2009 — Ardent Energy Group (AEG) Inc, a full service biodiesel company focused on the cultivation and refining of high quality biodiesel from non-edible biological feedstock, announced today an agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MOARD) of Ethiopia to transfer 15,000 hectares, approximately 37,000 acres, to AEG for the purpose of cultivating jatropha and castor. The resultant crop will be refined into usable biodiesel fuel.

“We started with the idea that in order to make biodiesel cost-effective we had to control the source of the oil and that became our “farm to fuel” strategy that begins with the securing of land for cultivation,” said Y. Daniel Gezahegne, founder and CEO of Ardent Energy Group. “By growing our crop in Ethiopia and distributing our fuel throughout the world, we are able to create jobs while creating a business that helps wean the world from petroleum-based fuels.”

The 15,000 hectares outlined in the memorandum of understanding (MOU) is in the Metekel Zone, Gublak District within Benshangul Gumuz in western Ethiopia. The MOU establishes a 50-year lease on the land for AEG, and includes permission to operate an oil crushing plant and biodiesel processing facility.

Jatropha and castor were selected as the first source of oil by AEG due to the resiliency of the plant, its ability to grow in marginal soil conditions and the extremely high-yield of oil to hectare as compared to other crops such as soybean. The ability of jatropha to thrive in harsh climates is also favorable, as the plant will not be competing with land that could otherwise be used for food production.

Ardent Energy Group is committed to creating sustainable, safe, reliable fuel from non-feedstock sources. More information is available at http://www.ardentenergygroup.com.

About Ardent Energy Group Ardent Energy Group Inc. is a US. Corporation registered in the State of Nevada. Our business development office is located in Elk Grove, California. AEG is a full service biodiesel company focused on the cultivation and refining of high quality biodiesel from non-edible biological feedstock.

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