In the United States, project developer BioMass Solution LLC held a groundbreaking ceremony in Grand Forks, North Dakota (ND) marking construction start for the Red River Biorefinery that will convert over 500 000 tonnes per annum of agricultural residues into advanced biofuels to be sold in the transportation fuels marketplace.
Held on August 22, the ceremony also marked construction start for Middleton, Wisconsin-based BioMass Solution’s first US production facility. The Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has been working with the company since 2014 when they first identified the region for Red River Biorefinery.
This is an exciting development for the region, one that will have a tremendous economic impact. The company was attracted here by our strong agribusiness sector and the robust infrastructure we have been developing for decades. They are bringing an innovative technology to greater Grand Forks that will have far-reaching environmental benefits, as well as add value to our established industries, said Keith Lund, EDC President, and CEO.
According to Lund, the economic impact to the region will be significant, with more than US$35 million invested with local companies during the construction phase and more than 150 construction-related jobs.
Biomass Solution chose Grand Forks for a number of reasons. It’s a great central hub with a lot of ag processing and great infrastructure that makes it ideal for transportation and logistics. There is a strong university and workforce reputation, said Keshav Rajpal, Biomass Solution principal.
Red River Biorefinery has long-term partnerships with several companies that will supply the feedstock to be used for high-value biofuel conversion.
Our focus is to bring together complete project financing, proven technologies, experienced implementation, and operating partners to successfully deploy solutions which minimize risk, Rajpal said.
Once operational in 2020, Red River Biorefinery expects to employ 25 full-time employees. In addition, the company projects secondary employment, primarily in the transportation sector, will exceed 20 full-time employees.
The marketplace is excited about using proven technologies with successful track records to monetize organic waste streams. The design of Red River Biorefinery allows for operating flexibility while maximizing end-product value for our customers. This makes the facility an attractive and replicable model for agricultural and organic waste management, said Jacek Chmielewsk, BioMass Solution Principal.
