Barnwell County, South Carolina
The Barnwell County, South Carolina BDO Zone for Woody Biomass is rated ‘A’.
Rating Issue Date: January 17, 2022.
'A' ratings denote high prospective viability of Feedstock Supply and Infrastructure and low expectations of default risk in the Zone. Capacity to support new biobased plant operations is considered strong.
Barnwell County, SC holds an investment-grade BDO Zone ‘A’ Rating for Forest residuals, Sawmill residuals. Issued in Jan 2022, the rating certifies approximately 300,000 gt/yr of reliable, low-risk biomass feedstock available within a 75-mile drive from the Barnwell BDO Zone.
A ‘A’ rating is an investment grade rating, signalling a reliable, low-risk feedstock supply. It signals to developers, lenders, and investors that Barnwell County, SC’s feedstock supply has undergone rigorous, standardized due diligence across 100+ risk indicators, the same framework applied to every BDO Zone across North America.
Every BDO Zone Rating assesses a region across three dimensions, mapped as expanding radii around a candidate site.
- Feedstock surplus: Data indicating at least 50,000 tonnes per year of excess feedstock available to support typical intake of new biofuels manufacturing plants.
- Supply chain strength: Evidence supporting long-term commitment to supply both quantity and quality by local farmers, forestry companies, food waste generators, haulers and municipalities.
- Sound infrastructure: Suitable transportation, logistic, operating and supporting infrastructure to meet the requirements for new facility operations.
Assets & liabilities
- 12.1 million green tons per year (gt/yr) of woody biomass is generated , including 6.8 million gt/yr of Sawmill Residuals and 5.3 million gt/yr of Forest Residues.
- There is a surplus of 6.7 million gt/yr of woody biomass in the Supply Basin.
- Woody biomass supply chain is characterized by a large number of potential suppliers: 24 sawmills and 84 loggers/harvesters operating within the Supply Basin.
- The forestry labor market is healthy, and we do not anticipate labor or skill shortages.
- Year-to-year variation in Sawmill Residual generation. However, the softwood Sawmill Residual generation is more stable.
- Suppliers are subjected to the same external factors: slow lumber markets can negatively affect Sawmill Residual and Forest Residue generation.
Infrastructure & sites
- 1606-acre shovel-ready industrial park located on a four-lane highway 64
- CSX rail service, state-certified park, fully dedicated water and wastewater, 6″ high-pressure natural has, dual feed electric power, 10-are fire pond, Fiber optic telecommunications and $500M+ in capital investment.
- Three major companies are occupying the park, however, over 900 acres of rail-certified land is available for an incoming project.
Local grants & incentives
- The Barnwell County BDO Zone is located in a Federal Opportunity Zone (45011970500) which offers investors incentives for putting capital to work in low-income communities.
Contacts
