Governor Perdue, RWE Bioenergy Break Ground on Production Facility in Ware County

WAYCROSS – Governor Sonny Perdue today officially welcomed Georgia’s newest bioenergy production facility to the state during a groundbreaking ceremony in Waycross. The project was initially announced in January, and is the result of collaboration between RWE Innogy of Germany and BMC of Sweden that will create 75 jobs and represent a $150 million investment. The facility will operate as a wood pellet production plant, and is expected to produce 750,000 tons of wood products annually. RWE will serve as an investor in this project, while BMC will carry out the development of the new facility.

“Georgia is proud to officially welcome RWE and BMC to the state,” said Governor Perdue. “We look forward to this new enterprise being a valued contributor to Georgia’s growing global presence in the alternative energy sector. In addition to the direct investment and job creation, this project will also benefit our forestry industry in Ware County and throughout the state.”

Operating as Georgia BioMass, LLC, the new production facility will be built on a 300-acre parcel of land donated by the Okefenokee Area Development Authority. Production at the Waycross plant is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2011.Waycross was selected as the site of the new RWE facility in part due to the area’s abundance of forests necessary to sustain wood pellet production.

“Our region is attractive to companies in the renewable energy industry as a result of the area’s accessibility to shipping ports and railways, existing infrastructure, and low-cost operating levels,” said Regina Morgan, Executive Director of the Okefenokee Area Development Authority. “This community proudly welcomes Georgia BioMass, and looks forward to a fruitful relationship for years to come.”

RWE, a leading energy production utility in Europe, will work with BMC to develop the production facility to export wood pellets to Europe. RWE and BMC plan to create the world’s largest renewable energy capacity of wood pellets produced at the new facility. Once they are shipped to Europe, RWE will use the wood pellets to meet the growing European demand for renewable energy.

“We are very excited about having formed this close cooperation with RWE, to develop a world-class biomass facility to provide the power industry with a tailored pellet with ‘coal like’ characteristics for efficient conversion to electricity,” said BMC founder and managing partner Mats Lindstrand. “The location in Waycross is perfect for us and we feel very welcomed in the local community.”

Tom Croteau, Director of Energy for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, managed this project. Future job opportunities for Georgia Biomass will be coordinated through the Georgia Department of Labor’s Waycross office.

About RWE Innogy

RWE Innogy pools the renewable energy expertise and generating plants of the RWE Group. The company plans, builds and operates renewable power generation facilities, and aims to vigorously grow its renewable energy capacity. The expansion of onshore and offshore wind power capacities will remain the driver for RWE Innogy’s growth in the future, however, biomass and hydroelectric power will also be vigorously expanded. Innovation is another key focus area for RWE Innogy, not only pursuing classical research and development, but also investing in selected emerging technology companies.

About BMC

BMC (BioMass Capital Management AB with subsidiaries) is a Swedish-based project and technology development company, specialized in wood based biomass to replace fossil fuels. BMC has a highly specialized staff with long experience from the wood products and biomass industries and has offices in Stockholm, Sweden and Savannah, Georgia.

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