Photo by Carly Pearson
Jeff Longbine, Chairman of the Regional Developmental Association explains that the RDA is in negotiations with a company that produces biodiesel fuel, to build a plant in Emporia. The plant would add 30 jobs to the city.
The Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas announced this morning that it is trying to bring a $65 million biodiesel plant to Emporia.
The RDA is in negotiations with the company, which has not yet been named. If the deal is closed, the firm would add about 30 jobs to the community with a projected annual payroll of more than $1.35 million.
“Over the last year, we’ve had a flurry of inquiries from biodiesel companies,” said Kent Heermann, president of the RDA. “This company began making inquiries about a year ago and the serious discussions started in December.”
“Better-paying jobs are something we’ll always look at,” said RDA Chairman Jeff Longbine. “It’s going to be a great project for the community.”
The company has not been named by the RDA, other than to say it is domestically-based. The plant would be located just east of Norfolk Iron and Metal on a 41-acre site. The RDA is asking for the ground to be rezoned from light industrial to heavy industrial.
The plant could be a boost to local soybean processor Bunge North America, since partially refined soy oil is one of the food stocks that can be used to produce biodiesel fuel.
Heermann said he had toured a similar plant owned by the company. No noise could be heard outside the plant, he said, and no odors escaped to the outside.
“It’s never really exposed to air,” Heermann said, noting that the manufacturing would occur entirely inside the plant. “It’s a closed-loop system. There’s no aroma to it.”
“It’s very environmentally friendly,” Longbine said.
Details for the plant have not yet been set. The preliminary layout has an administrative area, maintenance shop and process building. Storage tanks will be north of the process building. The loading area for rail tanker cars and trucks would be in the center of the tract, shielded by the processing building.
The rezoning will have to be approved by the Emporia-Lyon County Metropolitan Area Planning Commission. Its next meeting is April 24, but Longbine said a detailed announcement about the company will probably come before then.
“I would suspect we would be able to announce the name soon, hopefully in the next 30 to 45 days,” Longbine said.
Comments
Post a comment
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. Our goal with this feature is to encourage thoughtful discussions about the news stories. Using the comment feature to make random attacks on people is not acceptable. Emporiagazette.com neither endorses nor guarantees the accuracy of any user contribution. Responsibility for what is posted or contributed to this site is the sole responsibility of each user. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
(Requires free registration.)