The timeline has been pushed back, but it appears that a company that makes pellets for wood-burning heating systems will buy the former Louisiana Pacific plant in Center.
“There are no issues from Jackson County,” reported Courtney Bernardi, the chamber of commerce’s director of economic development, at a Jackson County Industrial Development Authority meeting last Friday. “The new incentive package we sent was perfect. Everything we did or the state did, they are thrilled.”
Bernardi did not indicate what sort of incentives were offered.
The company originally hoped to be in production this year, but that has been pushed back to mid-to-late 2012, Bernardi said.
The biggest issue remaining to be resolved, according to Bernardi, is the “rail configuration” the company requires to ship its product to Brunswick, from which it will be shipped to Europe. Aside from that, she said, the company hopes to convert its truck fleet from petroleum to either liquefied natural gas or compressed natural gas and install a re-fueling station.
“This is not an obstacle. It’s just something they have to go through,” she told the IDA, adding that the yet-unnamed industry plans to “spend a lot of money up front” to reduce its carbon footprint, which Bernardi says will allow the company to charge more for its product.
“This industry is going to be more important to this county than people realize,” commented IDA member John Buchanan, referring to the effect it will have on loggers and others who will handle the raw materials.
“They will touch a lot of people,” Bernardi agreed, “and they’re excited about that.”
Another holdup has been the need to transfer the operating permit from LP to the new company. Bernardi said the company expects to resolve that issue and its rail issues by the end of the year.
