A.G. Gancarski
Florida Gov. Rick Scott is going to have 50 more new jobs added to his running tally of job creation stats delivered at pressers.
On Friday, Gov. Scott announced that Borregaard ASA and the politically active and connected Rayonier Advanced Materials will stage their collaboration, LignoTech Florida, in Fernandina Beach.
Borregaard holds a 55 percent majority stake.
LignoTech will specialize in “environmentally friendly” alternatives to oil, usable in agribusiness, industry, and construction, which will be based on lignin, the fibrous intercellular connective material in plants.
The expected economic impact for Northeast Florida: $28 million per annum.
LignoTech, under the Borregaard umbrella, has operations in 80 countries globally.
Construction starts soon, and the hope is to have the facility online by mid-2018.
Business Wire notes the significance of the capital investment from the corporate partners.
“The plant is expected to be constructed at a cost of $135 million over two phases of the project. Phase one, which will deliver a lignin capacity of 100,000 metric tons, is estimated to cost $110 million. An estimated incremental $25 million will be required in phase two to increase the total capacity to 150,000 metric tons,” reads the release.
As well, the press release notes the “unwavering support from local city, county and state officials during the evaluation phase of the process” and the “economic and logistical support provided by local and state governments” to make this collaboration happen.
