USDA greenlights biorefinery in Mississippi

Velocys plc has announced  that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the environmental assessment report for its planned Bayou Fuels biorefinery in Natchez, Mississippi.

The facility is proposed to be located on a 100-acre site in Natchez that Velocys secured in October 2017. It will use the company’s innovative technology to produce low-carbon transportation fuels from the wood wastes of lumber operations and tree plantations. The biorefinery will convert locally-sourced woody biomass waste into enough renewable fuel to meet the demands of running around 40,000 diesel and gasoline trucks.

The 160-page environmental assessment report details the impact of the proposed facility across 15 potential aspects, including: land use, water resources, air quality, wildlife, visual impact, noise, transport and public and occupational health. In each case, the report concludes the plant would have “none”, “none to minor”, or “minor” impacts during construction and operation.

With the FONSI process completed, Velocys will now focus on the next steps in the project’s development, including securing the state-level permits that will be required to construct and operate the biorefinery. No opposing or negative comments were filed as part of the USDA’s public consultation process.