Apr. 4, 2007
By Laura Sandiford The Choctaw Plaindealer
The Choctaw County Supervisors will meet with Silverado Green Fuel company leaders as well as Mississippi Development Authority officials and Economic Development District representatives to break ground at the building site for the demonstration facility.
After signing a memorandum of understanding on December 18, all of the participating parties will converge at the Red Hills Eco-Plex at 11 am on Monday, April 9, where the facility will be located, to put the first shovel into the ground.
Currently the County is seeking to gain environmental clearance before they begin clearing and prepping the building site. Once clearance is granted, per the MOU the County will spend no more than $65,000 on clearing and grubbing the designated site. Part of the $ 65,000 will come from remaining Industrial Eco Plex Enhancement Funds.
After holding a public hearing as part of the process to obtain a Small Community Development Block Grant Loan through the state, Supervisors voted unanimously to apply for the loan. Loan funds will to go toward constructing a facility at the Red Hills EcoPlex in which Silverado GreenFuel (SGF) will locate a low rank coal-water fuel (LRCWF) demonstration facility.
Choctaw County agreed to apply for the CDBG loan funds under conditions stipulated in the signed MOU. The county will secure the funding from the Mississippi Development Authority and in turn repay the loan through payments made by SGF.
Phyllis Benson, Project Analyst for Golden Triangle Planning and Development District, conducted the public hearing and will prepare the CDBG application for the County.
The demonstration facility will occupy approximately 14 acres at the Eco-Plex. As part of the agreement, Silverado Green Fuel will hire at least 45 employees and give precedence to qualified Choctaw County applicants.
Silverado will create a demonstration facility with the objective of turning coal, mined by Red Hills Mine, into a stable liquid fuel. The LRCWF created through the process is said to be the answer to America's energy and oil crisis.
According to Garry L. Anselmo, President of Silverado Green Fuels, developing a useable alternative fuel product will lead to less dependence on crude oil.
The project entails expenditures of $ 26 million over a period of three years with Silverado Green Fuel Inc. (SGF) investing an initial $13.1 million in machinery and equipment upon completion of a facility.
The construction phase of the project is scheduled to take 24 months once it begins. |
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