Former Hopewell Ethanol Plant Operator Moves into Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
by John Reid Blackwell (Richmond Times-Dispatch) The former operator of an ethanol plant in Hopewell is now planning to pay its debts under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after several of its creditors tried to force the company to liquidate.
Vireol Bio Energy LLC got approval Dec. 14 from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Richmond to convert its case to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which enables companies to work with creditors on a plan to pay debts.
Several of the company’s creditors, including Dominion Virginia Power, had filed a petition with the court in November to force the company into an involuntary Chapter 7 liquidation of its assets.
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A Chapter 11 bankruptcy will enable the court to better identify Vireol’s remaining assets to pay creditors, said Bruce Arkema, a lawyer with DurretteCrump PLC in Richmond who is representing Vireol.
Arkema said the company’s assets include about $700,000 owed under a state biofuel incentives program.