Enviva Inc. (NYSE: EVA), the world’s leading producer of sustainably sourced woody biomass, issued a statement today thanking the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s (MDEQ) permit board for unanimous approval for the construction permit of Enviva’s Bond, Mississippi facility. The permit was issued after an extensive review process that included a public comment period, a well-attended public hearing, and numerous public comments. The proposed facility will be designed to produce approximately 1.2 million oven dried tons (ODT) per year of wood pellets and will be equipped with maximum achievable control technologies to curb emissions to the greatest extent possible. Emission control technologies to be deployed throughout the site include baghouses, bin vents, wet electrostatic precipitators (WESP), and thermal oxidative controls (RTOs/RCOs).
Thomas Meth, Enviva’s President and CEO, issued the following statement:
“We appreciate the regulatory process and diligence that MDEQ and the air permit board demonstrated over the last 8 months in reviewing and issuing our permit. Our teams worked diligently with MDEQ to address questions raised by the community on the air quality of our operations, following the public comment process, and provided science-backed assurances which demonstrate no negative impact to air quality in the surrounding communities. We look forward to becoming a part of the Stone County community and to bringing economic development along with environmental leadership with our forthcoming plant.”
To obtain this permit, over the last year, Enviva engaged closely with the community to hear and proactively address any concerns, as well as prove the plant will comply with all regulatory requirements to protect public health and the environment. As it relates to operations, Enviva’s existing plants perform routine emission testing on all emission point sources. These tests are conducted by third-party experts and then submitted to the applicable regulatory agency for approval. Approved emission test results are made public and continue to demonstrate Enviva’s consistent compliance with established regulatory limits across the states in which Enviva operates. All Enviva’s facilities are subject to periodic on-site inspections, which are conducted by state regulatory agencies. These inspections review site operations, environmental monitoring, and environmental recordkeeping, among other variables, and the same regulatory oversight will apply to Enviva’s forthcoming Bond plant.
Enviva’s Bond plant will strengthen the regional wood market for previously unmerchantable timber, creating additional incentives for local landowners to keep their forests as forests. Once operational, the facility in Bond, MS will support approximately 350 direct and indirect jobs, including adjacent industries such as logging and trucking. Enviva remains committed to working tirelessly – every day – to be a company that makes Mississippi proud.
To learn more about Enviva’s forthcoming plant in Bond, MS, we encourage you to visit: https://enviva-bond.com/
RESIDENTS REACT
Enviva Pellets, the world’s largest producer of biomass for renewable energy, has been granted a permit by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to construct air emissions equipment for its new facility in Bond (Stone County). According to the company’s chief development officer, the groundwork for construction will begin later this year and the plan is for the plant to start production by summer 2025.
This decision was made unanimously by the community’s Board of Supervisors, despite a petition for county oversight of the facility’s pollution that was signed by hundreds of residents, including Wiggins Mayor Darrel Berry. What was approved was a memorandum of understanding, a fee-in-lieu tax agreement, and a Development Infrastructure Program grant agreement with the state Development Authority.
In a press release, Enviva said its plant will produce about 1.1 million tons of wood pellets per year, and it will be equipped with “maximum achievable control technologies to curb emissions to the greatest extent possible.” However, the petitioners called for a clawback — a contractual provision that would require the company to return its $33 million incentive package if the company emits more than its permitted 249 tons limit of annual pollution. Also, the petition points out several major permit violations made by Enviva at its other facilities.
“Living near that does not excite me,” resident Brad Alexander told WLOX, mentioning he worries the company will not follow the rules it agreed to. “The residents of Stone County want some leverage,” local Charles Mikhail said, in regards to wanting accountability for annual tests and reports. In response, the Board’s president Lance Pearson said they are “by no means against extra testing” and expect reporting from Enviva regarding emissions. “It’s hard for me to believe that they could get the permits if the emissions are that detrimental to the safety of people,” he added.
Besides financial incentives, the deal Stone County made with the company includes a ten-year fee-in-lieu agreement. So instead of paying taxes for the first decade, Enviva will pay a fee instead. Additionally, for reference, the new plant will join two other facilities in South Mississippi (George County and the Port of Pascagoula); overall, the company operates 10 wood pellet production plants across the country.