Kemper County, Mississippi
The Kemper County, Mississippi BDO Zone for Woody Biomass is rated ‘A’.
Rating Issue Date: October 31, 2024.
'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.
Kemper County, MS holds an investment-grade BDO Zone ‘A’ Rating for Forest residuals, Sawmill residuals, Pulpwood. Issued in Oct 2024, the rating certifies approximately 2,210,000 gt/yr of reliable, low-risk biomass feedstock available within a 75-mile driving distance from the centre point (Scooba, MS).
A ‘A’ rating is an investment grade rating, signalling a reliable, low-risk feedstock supply. It signals to developers, lenders, and investors that Kemper County, MS’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
- Leading regional forest industry with large network of experienced suppliers
- Nationally competitive supply chain labor costs
- Underutilized pine forest resource
- Comprehensive transport infrastructure, including dense road network, rail access, and proximity to major waterway providing Gulf Coast access
- Wood processing facility with demand for pulpwood under construction near Scooba
- Logging and trucking workforce development investments required
- Specialized labor procurement challenging due to regional remoteness
Infrastructure & sites
- 34-acre property with regional transportation connectivity
- Kansas City Southern rail service
- Highway 45 access
- Tombigbee Waterway (35-mile drive to Gulf)
- Upgraded electric service to 160kV
- Natural gas infrastructure
- Expanded water availability
- South of Highway 45 Site
- Letter of Intent secured
- Comprehensive infrastructure matching Site #1
- Railroad spurs
- Multiple crossovers for large-scale operations
Local grants & incentives
- MFLEX (Mississippi Flexible Incentive Plan)
- Full property tax exemptions available
- Federal Opportunity Zones qualification
- TVA Special Opportunity County designation
Contacts
