Wood Pellet Mill In Adel Getting Closer

A proposed 450,000 metric tons per year industrial wood pellet mill to be built in Adel, Ga. is still an active project with nearly all of the pieces—including financing, equipment selection and air quality permit—in place, and construction expected to begin at mid-year 2022, according to Craig Whitlock, founder and CEO of Renewable Biomass Group (RBG), which plans to export its wood pellets from the Port of Savannah to overseas markets as fuel for electricity and heat generation.

RBG is in negotiations with wood pellet purchasers overseas, who have been hindered in travel to the U.S. by the pandemic, delaying visits to the facility site.

“We are pleased with where we are, considering the global environment,” Whitlock says, referencing limitations brought on by COVID.

The facility will procure logs and residuals and feature a biomass-fired dryer, three dry hammermills, and 11 pellet mills among its equipment lineup.

Lisa Collins, executive director of the Cook County Economic Development Commission, says she’s ready for construction to begin and that it has been an enjoyable experience to work with RBG. A year ago the Adel City Council voted to annex an 171 acre industrial park area in Cook County into the city of Adel and to re-zone the property from agricultural to heavy-industry.

The city of Adel receives its wholesale energy from the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG). Collins says the city and MEAG are in cooperation with RBG on utilization matters such as enhancing the plant’s power load factor.

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Adel Moves Forward On Wood Pellet Plant