Jamestown  (CSi)   New Energy Spirit Biomass Refinery, LLC is planning to own and operate  a biomass refinery  after construction at the Spiritwood Energy Park.

The company statement says,  “The refinery is expected to annually produce 16 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol and 109,000 tons of lignin pellets from 230,000 tons of crop residue.It will convert locally harvested wheat straw, barley straw and corn stover into sugars, and ferment the sugars into cellulosic ethanol for renewable automotive fuel, while separating out the lignin for offsite renewable energy production. Other outputs are a biogas for producing process steam and a potassium-rich nutrient for fertilizing farm fields.”

The company will give farmers a second source of revenue while also improving their soil conservation.

The company says the  project will create around 400 or more construction jobs for 24 months, 100 full-time jobs with 42 at the refinery, and generate around $80 million in annual revenue with most being paid back to the local community.