Ethanol Plant To Open This Summer
The state’s first ethanol plant is on track to open this summer, according to a report on Richmond’s NBC12. Construction on the $170 million Appomattox Bio Energy facility in Hopewell is about eighty percent complete. The plant is scheduled to be finished in time for the 2010 barley crop, no later than July.
Although the plant initially encountered major opposition from some city leaders and residents, the safety concerns have subsided. “We obviously have to stay within very tight regulations provided by the DEQ, EPA, and a number of other environmental bodies,” said Craig Shealy, President of Osage Bio Energy.
About sixty people have been hired to work at the plant. The facility will have a substantial economic impact on the city with an expected $2 million in tax revenue annually. “That is a significant when you got businesses closing and some places being hit hard. So we’re fortunate with this upcoming boost to our tax base,” said City Council representative, Christina Luman-Baoley.
“We’re also offering a true crash crop opportunity to the regional farmers, and at a substantial one at that, we’ll be buying upwards of 30 million bushels of grain per year. So that’s a tremendous economic opportunity for the agriculture sector,” said Craig Shealy, President of Osage Bio Energy. The plant is expected to produce some 65 million gallons of ethanol yearly.
