KiOR To Build 3 Renewable Crude Plants In Mississippi

Governor Haley Barbour announced Thursday KiOR of Houston, Texas, has agreed to invest $500 million to build three facilities in Mississippi and create an estimated 1,000 jobs. The first, which will be located at the Port of Columbus will employ approximately 50 workers on its 22-acre site.

Columbus was chosen along with Franklin and Newton counties to receive a plant because of the wealth of timber available locally. The Columbus plant, the smallest of the three, will truck the timber in and ship the renewable crude out on barges.

KiOR uses a decades-old process of converting wood into crude oil but has developed a catalyst to speed the process. According to the company they can produce approximately 2.8 barrels of renewable crude for every ton of timber processed.

KiOR has also pledged to locate two of its next five facilities in Mississippi if it expands beyond the original three.

Source : The Dispatch