County future renewable fuel plant site?

Van Wert County ED information

SG Preston, a Philadelphia-based company that aspires to be the world’s largest producer of renewable diesel and jet fuel, has announced Van Wert County as a site for a future production facility.

In 2014, R. Delbert LeTang, CEO of SG Preston, announced his goal of partnering with local communities to produce up to 1.2 billion gallons of renewable fuel a year. Last August, the company selected a site in Lawrence County to produce 120 million gallons of renewable diesel fuel. That South Point facility, estimated to be online in 2017, will represent an investment of $400 million and will create 100 permanent jobs, according to SG Preston.

Van Wert County joins South Point and Logansport, Indiana, designated as site 1 and 2 for future production facilities, to help SG Preston reach its production goals. A handful of other sites in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and provinces throughout Canada are also being considered.

“We have developed a rapid deployment strategy for responding to the demand for advanced, drop-in renewable diesel and jet fuels by companies not only seeking to meet their regulatory mandates, but also those who understand the true impact and value of our product in their fuel blends,” said LeTang. “We are laser focused on executing our plan to meet this volume demand, and to integrating Van Wert into our strategic plan.”

SG Preston’s licensed advanced technology converts targeted feedstock into renewable diesel and jet fuel, which is chemically identical to comparable petroleum-based fuels and can be used as a drop-in replacement in vehicles and aircraft with no modifications. Van Wert County’s rail, its strategic location in the Midwest and the feedstock element played a large part in its selection. The potential feedstock production that may occur within the county is an invaluable asset. Local farmers will be encouraged to become part of the process, as well as 60-100 hires that will be needed to run the plant upon its completion.

“When we were contacted several months ago by Genesee & Wyoming-owned Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad about SG Preston’s plans, we were extremely excited about this opportunity for Van Wert,” said County Commissioner Thad Lichtensteiger. “After meeting Mr. LeTang, and through the sheer persistence of our Economic Development office, Van Wert has been added to the short list of communities for this promising economic development project.”

The county is working with SG Preston to identify an optimum location and to begin a pre-engineering assessment, said Van Wert County Economic Development Director Sarah Smith.

“A project on this scale will have significant economic importance to Ohio’s northwest region and bring future, long-term salary positions to Van Wert County,” Smith noted. “These new positions will get us closer to the manufacturing job growth goals established in the recent economic development assessment conducted in late April of this year and will help us achieve long-term economic growth and stability.”