Drax Biomass Inc. (DBI), a US wood pellet production subsidiary of UK power utility Drax Group has announced that it has started up pellet production at its newest facility, LaSalle BioEnergy in Urania, Louisiana.
LaSalle BioEnergy will employee approximately 78 employees and is the third pellet plant in DBI’s portfolio including Morehouse BioEnergy in Bastrop, Louisiana and Amite BioEnergy in Gloster, Mississippi. The wood pellet manufacturing facility, which is roughly 260 km (160 miles) northwest of Baton Rouge can produce approximately 450 000 tonnes of wood pellets per annum.
Originally built by German Pellets and called Louisana Pellets, a series of upgrades and repairs have been ongoing at the plant since the acquisition in early April, supporting a further investment of more than US$20 million for the region. The asset was a strategic investment considering LaSalle BioEnergy’s proximity to an abundant wood basket and its production capacity that supports DBI’s strategy of increasing self-supply.
