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$40M
refinery to locate in Opp
By Stephanie Nelson
Perihelion Global announced Friday its intention to construct
a $40 million bio-fuel refinery in the City of Opp's Industrial
Park.
Perihelion Global is a nationwide company which, by their definition,
focuses on the "acquisition, development and management of
technologies, strategic commodity reserves and assets in the energy,
natural resource and communications markets."
According to Robert Boothe, Jr., the government and public affairs
representative for the company, the new plant will create 150 new
jobs with an average pay of $17 per hour.
"I'm at a loss for words at how excited I am for our community,"
said Opp Mayor H.D. Edgar. "Our community has been hard hit
lately, but now we're beginning to crawl out of the dip. You can't
put a dollar amount on the economic impact [of this project] for
our city. Soon it will be groundbreaking time, and we're blessed
to have it here."
The plant will create 150 new jobs for the area by developing cutting
edge technology in the area of alternative fuels, said John Beebe,
C.E.O. of Perihelion Global.
"Opp is known as the city of Opportunity," Beebe said.
"We saw an opportunity here, no pun intended, and we knew we
had to take it."
During his presentation, Beebe gave a brief overview of the nation's
dependency on foreign oil and how his company plans to make the
world of alternative fuels an everyday reality.
"Our goal is help build a brighter future, not only for the
people here in Opp, but also for the people nationwide," he
said. "President Bush just said America is addicted to foreign
sources of oil and it creates a grave threat to national security.
"We're taking steps to build a greater future for Opp, for
Alabama and for the United States."
Beebe said the bio-fuel his company will produce is 90 percent less
environmental emissions than traditional diesel fuel and will increase
the area's tax revenue.
The company plans to produce the bio-diesel fuel by converting virgin
oil feedstock such as peanuts and soybeans to usable fuel by a process
called transesterification.
Transesterification is the process of exchanging the alkoxy group
of an ester compound by another alcohol. These reactions are often
catalyzed by the addition of an acid or base. It is also the process
used in the synthesis of polyester.
Beebe said his company plans to utilize local farmers to help produce
the peanuts needed to produce his company's goal of 40 million gallons
of bio-fuel a year.
The 2.5-acre plant will sit on 20 acres in the city's industrial
park and be comprised of storage facilities capable of housing 40,000
tons of peanuts and 20,000 tons of grains.
According to Lamar Lindsey, local farmer and newly appointed plant
manager and project supervisor of Perihelion Global, once up and
running, the company has big plans for productivity.
"We're aiming to crush 1,000 tons a day," Lindsey said.
"Before it's all said and done, we hope to fill up 40 acres
[of the industrial park.]"
Officials from all over the state and county were on hand to welcome
the company to Opp.
Sen. Jimmy Holley (D-Elba) presented a seal of Alabama to Beebe
on behalf of the state for choosing to locate his company in Opp.
"I welcome you to Opp, to Covington County and to the State
of Alabama," Holley said. "I look forward to the prosperous
partnership, and I pledge to do what I can to make this project
a success.
"The jobs created by this company will mean a lot more than
just employment," he said. "It means houses in our community;
cars, clothing; braces for the children. It all trickles down."
Also present for the announcement were Covington County Commission
Chairman Greg White and members of the county commission; Deputy
Commissioner and head of the newly created Center for Alternative
Fuels for Alabama Glen Zorn; as well as other members of organizations
from around the state.
While no official date has been set for the opening of the plant,
officials are hoping to have the construction phase of the project
finished and the plant operating by January 2008. |
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