Biofuel Plant in Greenfield Gearing up to Start Operation
by Mary Byrne (The Reporter) Nearly six years after its anticipated opening, Northeast Biodiesel LLC — a biofuel manufacturing plant located in the Industrial Park — is once again gearing up to start operation.
The new general manager, Rick Durepo, who was brought on in August, said his understanding of the situation is that financing fell short in 2016. He’s hopeful now, following several recent meetings with lenders, to secure funding in time to begin operating its 1.75-million-gallon-a-year plant by early spring, producing fuel using recycled vegetable oil from restaurants and catering facilities around the state.
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Over the summer and into the fall, he said, applications for worker-owner positions were reviewed. Once applicants had been screened and interviewed, they attended worker co-op sessions.
“We were able to conditionally hire eight people — conditional upon financing,” Durepo said. “The effort to train the people in the functions of a co-op has been completed for five of the eight. Three more who were brought on later need to complete training.”
Durepo said the plant is 90% to 95% ready, in terms of financing.
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The co-op is also looking to create a subcommittee that looks at the relationships with local restaurants and will continue to seek additional restaurant members, according to Durepo. READ MORE
