Chemtex International, Inc. of Wilmington North Carolina and Murphy Brown LLC of Warsaw North Carolina Sign a Long Term Agreement
Wilmington, North Carolina (PRWEB) July 16, 2013 -- Chemtex and Murphy-Brown announce long term biomass supply agreement.
Chemtex International, Inc. of Wilmington North Carolina and Murphy Brown LLC of Warsaw North Carolina signed today a long term agreement for the supply of purpose grown energy crops and residues to be used as cellulosic feedstock in Project Alpha, Chemtex’s Cellulosic Ethanol facility planned for Clinton, North Carolina.
The agreement covers a number of feedstocks to be grown on approximately six thousand acres of land owned or controlled by Murphy Brown. The proposed crops will be grown on acreage that is not typically used for grain production and will represent the backbone of the supply chain for the planned Chemtex biorefinery. Final execution of the agreement is contingent upon achieving financial closure for the project.
Don Butler, Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs with Murphy Brown commented “We are excited to be working with Chemtex to bring Cellulosic Ethanol to Eastern North Carolina. The production of these feedstocks will be a natural complement to livestock production in the state and will bring new opportunities for farmers large and small. This project will demonstrate to policymakers that their focus should be on encouraging these American-made next-generation biofuels that are produced without consuming foodstuffs.”
Although the agreement represents a substantial portion of the feedstock required to operate the facility, additional acreage will be contracted in the coming months. “It’s a privilege to be working with Murphy Brown and is representative of the support we have received in North Carolina. It’s a great first step in filling out our supply needs and we are looking forward to contracting with additional farmers in the area”, said Matt Harrod, Director of Supply Chain Development for Chemtex.
A significant part of the supply chain will be met through the use of new cellulosic ethanol feedstocks recently approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Senator Kay Hagan and Representative’s G.K. Butterfield and Mike McIntyre were instrumental in getting the administration to work with the federal resource agencies on establishing a pathway for their approval.
Project Alpha will produce twenty million gallons of environmentally friendlier cellulosic ethanol annually using Beta Renewables’ market leading PROESA® Technology. It is expected to create approximately 65 direct and at least 250 indirect jobs excluding those relating to the construction of the plant and is expected to be the foundation for the further expansion and development a significant “green” industry in North Carolina.
About Murphy-Brown LLC
Murphy-Brown LLC is the livestock production subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, Inc. Murphy-Brown LLC has hog production facilities in twelve states in the United States, producing approximately 16.5 million market hogs annually. Smithfield Foods, Inc. is the world’s largest producer and processor of hogs.
For further information please contact:
Don Butler
Vice President - Government Relations and Public Affairs
Murphy-Brown LLC
Warsaw, NC 28398
Tel: +1 910 293 5328
Fax: +1 910 293 6957
E-mail DonButler(at)murphybrownllc(dot)com
Web: http://www.murphybrownllc.com
About Chemtex
Chemtex is a global engineering and technology company wholly-owned by Italy’s Gruppo Mossi & Ghisolfi (“M&G”). Chemtex specializes in delivering value-added project solutions for its clients in the bio-fuels, renewable chemicals, energy, environmental, petrochemical, polymers and fibers industries. The company benefits from over 60 years of success in process development and commercializing hundreds of plants worldwide. Chemtex International Inc., its North American Headquarters, is located in Wilmington, N.C.
Chemtex is a leader in chemical engineering and renewable processes. It engineered and constructed the world’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facility in Crescentino, Italy for Beta Renewables to produce cellulosic ethanol from locally sourced ligno-cellulosic biomass using its PROESA® Process. This facility began operations in December 2012.
For further information please contact:
Dennis Leong
Executive Vice President, Marketing & Business Development
Chemtex International Inc.
1979 Eastwood Road, Wilmington, NC, 28403
Tel: +1 910 509 4407
Fax: +1 910 509 4567
E-mail dennis(dot)leong(at)chemtex(dot)com
Web: http://www.chemtex.com
Michele Rubino, Beta Renewables, http://www.betarenewables.com, +1 (617) 230-6162, [email protected]
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