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Tampa Port To Consider Plan For Biofuels Plant

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By TED JACKOVICS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 20, 2008

TAMPA - A plan to build a $70 million biofuels plant at the Port of Tampa rather than an ethanol plant could create 250 construction jobs and 50 to 60 full-time jobs once the plant opens, port officials said.

GreenHunter Energy Inc. of Houston is seeking to take over a lease from Port Sutton Envirofuels for 22 acres at the southeast end of Port Sutton near U.S. 41. This year, Port Sutton Envirofuels abandoned plans to build an ethanol production plant at the port.

GreenHunter hopes to build blending, storage and distribution facilities at the port within 12 to 18 months but has not provided details of what type of crops it plans to use in the production process.

Jack Zedlitz, director of corporate communications for GreenHunter, said more details on the company's proposal will be available this week. The publicly held company is involved in biodiesel, geothermal, solar and wind projects in the United States and Canada.

It acquired a Texas plant along the Houston Ship Channel in 2007 and is converting the facilities into a 105-million-gallon a year biodiesel refinery with about 700,000 barrels of bulk storage capacity.

Commercial production is expected this year.

The Tampa project would produce 1.5 million barrels in the first year and 3.1 million in the second year, according to information filed with the Port Of Tampa.

The Tampa Port Authority plans to consider the company's lease transfer request at 9:30 a.m. today at its regular monthly meeting. The meetings are held at 1101 Channelside Drive.

Environmental and community impacts would be minimal, with no significant air emissions or water use, the port's business agenda item states. At a public hearing on the project Sept. 5, no one from the public spoke in favor of or in opposition to the plan. That contrasted with criticism by nearby residents who expressed concerns the proposed ethanol plant would create an unusual odor and use large amounts of water.

Port Sutton denied those assertions.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817 or tjackovics@tampatrib.com.

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