Drax Gets Satellite Pellet Plant Going
Drax Group is ramping up to full production at Leola—the first of three new satellite pellet plants it plans for Arkansas. Leola, in Grant County, is part of a $40 million investment by Drax in the state, creating approximately 30 new jobs across all the three sites planned for Arkansas as well as many more indirect jobs.
Including Leola, Drax operates six pellet plants in the U.S., which use biomass sourced from sustainably managed working forests in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. The three satellite plants in Arkansas are expected to produce a total of 120,000 tonnes of wood pellets per year from sawmill residues. This supports Drax’s plans to double its pellet production capacity to 8 million tonnes by 2030 to meet its own requirements, as well as its customers’ needs in Europe and Asia, amid an expected increase in global demand for the low-carbon fuel.
The satellite plants are located near sawmills, so they can use the sawdust and other byproducts. Construction of the second Arkansas satellite plant in Russellville, Pope County, is underway with commissioning expected this year. Drax is continuing to develop plans for a third plant.
The pellets produced at the new satellite plants will be transported to Bruce Oakley terminal in Little Rock, Ark. before being shipped south to Louisiana to oceangoing vessels. Each pellet plant is expected to produce 40kt per year.
Latest News
Plum Creek CEO Rick Holley Sees Recovery For Lumber
Rick R. Holley is CEO of a real estate investment trust that owns about 6.3 million acres in 19 states, including 720,000 acres in 22 counties in Arkansas. Before becoming CEO of Plum Creek Timber…
Sinclar Forest Products’ Lakeland Mills Rebuild ‘Going Well’
The weather up until last week was helping the rebuild of Lakeland Mills. The ground on the new mill was broken on July 22 and so far no major hiccups have occurred, as the first…
Reality Check: U.S. Lumber Prices Continue To Rise In Housing Upturn
U.S. lumber prices have firmed in recent months as rising housing starts have put pressure on lean inventories, creating a supply shortage that has yet to fully unwind, executives and industry experts told MNI. Some…
Find Us On Social
Newsletter
The monthly Timber Processing Industry Newsletter reaches over 4,000 mill owners and supervisors.
Subscribe/Renew
Timber Processing is delivered 10 times per year to subscribers who represent sawmill ownership, management and supervisory personnel and corporate executives. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.