Published: March 22, 2007 01:13 am      

Biofuel company plans project in Institute

INSTITUTE — A Chicago-area alternative energy company has announced a $15 million project to produce biodiesel fuel at the Bayer CropScience site in Institute, business and state officials announced today.

Emerald Biofuels, based in Golf, Ill., will start construction of a production facility in June at the Institute site, and will begin product shipments by the end of the year.

A contract between Bayer CropScience and Emerald Biofuels, based in Golf, Ill., calls for 30 million gallons of biodiesel fuel annually. At least a dozen employees from Bayer CropScience will support biodiesel plant.

David Drew, president and chief executive officer of Emerald Biofuels, said he decided to bring his company to West Virginia because of the state’s growing emphasis on alternative energy.

“The state of West Virginia has expressed strong support for Emerald Biofuels and feels that the 30 million gallons per year of biodiesel from the plant furthers the state’s goal of energy independence by 2030,” Drew said.

Officials also noted that the Institute site serves as an ideal manufacturing location for the project.

“Bayer offered the amenities they needed,” said David Lieving, national market representative for the state Development Office. “They’ll have access to barge loading, rails and the highway. Another big plus is that Bayer has lots of infrastructure that will save them money. They don’t need to build from scratch.”

Lieving said the project would create a few construction jobs as the unit is being built.

Emerald Biofuels has developed a proprietary process for manufacturing biodiesel fuel from soybean oil and other seed crops. The product will be blended with conventional diesel fuel, resulting in improved fuel lubricity and lower overall carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emissions, according to the company.

“Our view at Emerald Biofuels is that by utilizing an existing chemical facility, we are taking an environmentally responsible approach to building a plant,” Drew said. “That only makes sense for a renewable energy company.”

Dow Chemical, FMC, Praxair and Adisseo are among the other tenants at the Bayer CropScience Institute Manufacturing Industrial Park.

Officials said the project would help stabilize employment at the site and helps boost the image of the area’s manufacturing industry, which had faced downsizing and plant closings for decades.

Bayer CropScience employs around 550 workers at the Institute site. The company also has operations in South Charleston and New Martinsville and is one of the state’s largest employers at 1,370 people.

The company plans to close part of its New Martinsville plant this summer, which would lay off 230 workers.

Employment at the Institute plant has remained largely stable recently.

Other manufacturing companies in the Kanawha Valley have started hiring workers in recent years. DuPont added 10 operators to its Belle plant in 2005, the first time they hired new employees since 1982.

The Dow Chemical Co. also hired 15 new employees that year — the company’s first expansion in West Virginia in more than four years.

Bayer CropScience has operations in more than 120 countries and focuses on crop protection, nonagricultural pest-control, seeds and plant biotechnology.