By TRICIA NEAL, Staff Writer
Somerset — A ground-level business headquarter-ed in Somerset received statewide attention yesterday when Gov. Steve Beshear announced that it would receive $500,000 in funding from the Kentucky New Energy Ventures Fund.
The program provides public funds to early-stage companies whose goals are developing and commercializing alter-native fuel and renewable energy technologies.
Wellhead Energy Systems, headed by David Weddle and Don Moss, manufactures an advanced technology system which converts existing, stranded natural gas reserves into electricity to be distributed directly to industry or the regional power grid in rural communities.
Many natural gas wells in Kentucky’s rural areas are unproductive because they lack access to transport pipelines. Wellhead Energy Systems’ technology can take natural gas from these isolated wells, clean it, compress it, and feed it into a self-contained, on-site generator system.
The natural gas-powered generators convert the gas into electricity for use by local utilities, rural residents and industrial locations.
“By placing the generators closer to electrical users, our company plans to create a distributed energy supply to provide secure and reliable electrical power for rural communities,” said Weddle. “We are also going to use (Sharpe Houseboats) to produce our generator units, which will help keep and create jobs in the Somerset area.”
Wellhead Energy Systems was birthed only nine months ago.
Weddle said the $500,000 would “accelerate” his company’s plans to start putting Wellhead Energy Systems in the field.
Beshear also announced that Southeast Biofuels of Mt. Sterling had been awarded $30,000 to develop a portable system which can produce ethanol using sweet sorghum as a feedstock. The modular fermentation system will produce the liquid fuel at sites where the sorghum feed stock is grown and harvested.
Gov. Beshear praised the leaders of the two companies, saying they are proof that “small companies with big and innovative ideas can start up and succeed no matter where they’re located in the Commonwealth. ...
“Best of all, these energy companies are developing technologies that can be put to work here in Kentucky — while providing jobs for Kentuckians.”
