Fulcrum selects location for its biofuel plant

Fulcrum BioEnergy of Pleasanton, California, recently announced that it has selected Gary, Indiana for the location of its Centerpoint BioFuels Plant, which will convert municipal solid waste into low-carbon, renewable transportation fuel.

“Launching our business in Indiana is an important next step in expanding Fulcrum’s capabilities to new cities rich in innovation and opportunity,” says Jim Macias, the president and CEO of Fulcrum. “Fulcrum’s municipal solid waste-to-fuels process will help reduce the impacts from climate change and boost the economy by producing low-carbon transportation fuel, as well as bringing high-paying jobs and investment to northwest Indiana.”

Construction is expected to begin in 2020 and will take approximately 18 to 24 months to complete. Once operational, the Centerpoint plant will have the ability to divert and process approximately 700,000 tons of waste from the Greater Chicago area. The plant will process the waste, which will be converted offsite into a prepared feedstock and produce approximately 33 million gallons of fuel annually.

Centerpoint will deploy Fulcrum’s proprietary process, which the company says reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent when compared to conventional fossil fuels and will generate 160 full-time permanent jobs and 900 construction jobs in the region.

“Today is a great day for Gary and one that will have a significant impact on the city and surrounding communities for years to come,” says Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. “The state’s strong roots in manufacturing, paired with an emerging tech sector, make Indiana the ideal destination for innovative companies like Fulcrum that are developing 21st century solutions and changing the way we address today’s challenges. This new waste-to-fuel plant is a huge win for the city of Gary and for the Hoosier workforce across northwest Indiana.”

Fulcrum’s Centerpoint plant will be the company’s second waste-to-fuels plant. In late 2017, Fulcrum began construction on the Sierra BioFuels Plant located near Reno, Nevada. Fulcrum says when the Sierra plant begins operations in early 2020, it will be the first commercial-scale waste-to-fuels plant in the U.S.

“The attraction of new businesses that provide an entrée into new sectors has been a focus of our economic development team,” says Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson. “Our objective is to create jobs while raising the city’s assessed valuation. With a significant capital investment and noteworthy job creation, Fulcrum is a great example of the success of these efforts. This does not happen without the commitment and investment from Governor Holcomb and our partners in state government. We all understand that when Gary wins, Indiana wins.”

Fulcrum says it is leading the development of a reliable and efficient process for transforming municipal solid waste (MSW) into transportation fuels including jet fuel and diesel. The company’s plants will provide customers with a low-cost, low-carbon drop-in fuel that is competitively priced with traditional petroleum fuel.