Enviva has broken ground on a new wood pellet export terminal project in Mississippi, US.
Located in the Port of Pascagoula’s Bayou Casotte Harbor, the investment required for the construction of the wood pellet export terminal is $90m.
The US-based wood pellets manufacturer will provide $60m for the project while the remaining $30m will be financed by Jackson Port Authority.
Once the construction is completed, wood pellets manufactured in George County, Mississippi and other company’s plants in its strategic asset cluster in the Gulf region will be sold abroad through the Pascagoula Terminal to Asian and European markets.
According to the company, site preparation has begun and construction will start in the next few weeks.
The terminal’s construction is expected to be completed in 15 months and will be located simultaneously with Enviva’s new wood pellet production plant in Lucedale, in George County.
Enviva’s executive vice president of human capital Nic Lane said: “Today we take a major step in helping to meet the increasing global demand for sustainable biomass fuel, and to ensure greater security of supply to our customers, particularly for the rapidly growing demand from our Asian customers.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with one of the top-ranking ports in the U.S., the Port of Pascagoula, a major commercial engine and key driving force in local, regional and international economies.”
Construction of new export terminal to support approximately 150 direct and indirect jobs
The company said that the new terminal is expected to directly employ nearly 30 full-time workers and support approximately 150 direct and indirect jobs during construction phase.
Once operational, the export terminal will be able to receive product by rail, barge, and truck.
Two on-site domes will offer storage capacity for up to 90,000 metric tons of wood pellets.
The company said anticipates that the number of vessels calling the port will rise as it further develops production capacity in the area.
