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Wood pellet plant looking to locate in Jackson A new industry, which would employ up to 113 people, may locate in the newly developed industrial park located off of J.W. Andrews Highway (177) in Jackson. A resolution to offer tax incentives and up to $1 million of site preparation services for New Gas Concepts (NGC), Inc. was passed by the Jackson City Council during its regular meeting Thursday, Nov. 29. According to Mayor Richard Long, NGC is considering building a plant to produce wood pellets that would be shipped overseas to be used as fuel by European industries. The company owns Dixie Pellets, LLC, now being de- veloped in Selma. The manufacturing process combines wood by-products with chemicals to produce a long-burning product, similar to charcoal briquettes. The pellets from Selma are to be barged down the Alabama River to the Port of Mobile and exported to European Union electrical utilities as feedstock for power generation. The plan is to build a plant in Jackson, which will utilize the Tombigee River for transporting the pellets to Mobile. Long said future business opportunities between Dixie Pellets and Boise, as well as other companies in the area that produce wood products, may be a possibility once the plant is up and running. According to NGC's Web site, because Dixie Pellets will utilize renewable wood sources, its pellets qualify as a "green" energy source in the European Union. Favorable incentives for green power sources make the pellets valuable to buyers in the European Union. Long said if the project gets final approval, NGC has agreed to pay back the $1 million in incentives over a 20-year period. "This is a major industry that will be locating to Jackson and providing up to 113 jobs for Clarke County citizens," Long said. "I would like to thank Debra Bolen (county economic developer)and all those on the Industrial Development Board (IDB) who have worked with us on this project." The mayor added that the city is currently in the process of pursuing grant monies to help pay for the $1 million incentives package. "Regardless of whether we acquire any grant money for this project, we will still provide the same amount of incentives and site preparation work," he said. Other items approved by the council in connection with the project were: •A contract with Gailbraith & Associates for administrative services; •A contract with Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood for engineering services for site preparation; •A resolution to apply for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA).
Two public hearings related to the incentives package and the application for the ADECA block grant were conducted prior to the regular council meeting.
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