The Quonset Development Corp. (QDC) board of directors gave preliminary approval to a proposal by Atlantic Ethanol to bring "...an environmentally friendly renewable energy, ethanol production facility" to Quonset. The state-of-the-art, bio-technology, ethanol facility is proposed for 25 acres in the heavy industrial district of the business park.
The $140 million 'closed loop', environmentally advanced system design represents the smallest environmental footprint available for a bio-plant. The plant design includes a special feature that re-circulates the grey water from the Quonset Wastewater Treatment Facility.
The environmental and economic synergy makes the Quonset Business Park an appealing location, according to Atlantic Ethanol. The access to Quonset's intermodal transportation system means the facility can bring corn in by rail, and export ethanol by barge. Meanwhile the by-product CO2 can be sold to other companies, including one within the business park.
The ethanol facility, which will create 65 full time and 400 construction jobs, is just the latest in a series of projects expected to spur private investment and create employment at Quonset. This momentum was noted in last week's Northeast Independent newspaper, which mentioned the sports complex at the Gateway and the proposed mega-yacht construction and repair facility as two of the "components of a fast-growing economic boom at Quonset Point."