Enviva, a manufacturer of processed biomass fuel in the US and Europe, has planned to build a wood-pellet manufacturing facility in Ahoskie, North Carolina, creating 53 jobs in the area and bringing abundant supply of biomass in the mid-Atlantic region.
The new plant, to be built at the site of the former Georgia Pacific lumber facility site in Hertford County, will produce 330,000 tons of wood pellets annually from more than 600,000 tons of locally sourced raw wood supplies employing sustainable harvesting.
The new plant, which will leverage the region’s abundant resources, proximity to ports, and skilled labor, has received grant support from the state’s One North Carolina Fund, which has invested in projects creating more than 45,000 jobs since 2001.
Enviva plans to build at least two additional manufacturing plants in the area, with site selection expected to be completed within 18 to 24 months to meet the increasing demand from its domestic and European customer base.
Enviva chairman and CEO John Keppler said that Enviva has developed strong relationships with timber owners and other fiber suppliers who are committed to the sustainable management of their resources, those relationships are critical to the success of this exciting new expansion.