WAYCROSS - Two European companies have chosen Waycross as the spot to build the largest wood pellet plant in the world.
RWE Innogy of Germany and BMC of Sweden will invest $150 million to build a "green energy" wood pellet plant on 300 acres in Waycross' Industrial Park. Wood pellets are used in European power plants as a low-pollution substitute for coal.
The project is expected to create between 400 and 500 construction jobs, 75 permanent jobs and ripple effects in the region's economy.
Members of the Okefenokee Area Development Authority and BMC officials made the announcement at a breakfast meeting downtown Wednesday.
"It's a new day in our community, where we can work together in a positive and supportive way ... We hope this will be an example of other things we can do as a community," said OADA board member Owen Herrin.
The authority spent two years brokering the wood pellet deal on behalf of local governments.
When completed, the plant will produce 750,000 tons of wood pellets annually. That much product will do more than create 75 jobs, said Herrin. Timber owners will have a new market for their products, timber crews and haulers will gain jobs and semi-truck companies will earn money providing and maintaining vehicles.
"Lives will be changed in Waycross and the surrounding counties," said Herrin, "[The development authorities] are all about providing jobs and providing hope. You can hold your heads up high today and be proud."
Mayor Clarence Billups called it the greatest event in Waycross in recent memory, and Ware County Commissioner Jimmy Brown praised the professionalism of OADA and the collaborative efforts of city and county management teams.
"This shows we can join hands and make things happen here," said Brown. "I think you've seen that time come."
In a news release, Gov. Sonny Perdue welcomed RWE Innogy and BMC and noted the positive impact the plant would have on Georgia's forestry sector.
Georgia was not the only part of the world getting good news, though. Company officials announced the building of the plant in Berlin, Germany, six hours earlier, said Kent Sandquist, project director for BMC. That's because in the world of green energy production the project is history-making.
"Wood pelletizing has been done in small-scale and medium-scale production. But with this plant we are elevating it to an industrial-size scale," said Sandquist. "It means we are building something here in Waycross that's never been done before."
OADA Executive Director Regina Morgan said BMC and RWE chose to build in Waycross because they required a renewable energy source that could be converted to fuel in a cost efficient way.
"Southeastern Georgia is the wood basket of the world. We have a bountiful supply of pine here," Morgan said. Waycross also provides railway access to Georgia's deep water ports, she said.
Herrin and Sandquist thanked all who participated in negotiations, including Pierce County which was a member of the Okefenokee development authority up until this year. But both men especially thanked Morgan, whom Sandquist described as a key player in negotiations.
"Your organization has really proven to live up to the [goal of] the development of the Okefenokee area," Sandquist said.
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