The Need
As part of their continued growth strategy, Fulcrum BioEnergy needed to identify a site to develop their Centerpoint BioFuels Plant, which would produce transportation fuel from household garbage. With a pilot plant currently under development in Reno, Nevada, this would be their first full-size production facility. Due to the location of some of their primary partners, along with the extensive amount of municipal solid waste available, the Fulcrum team was focused on finding a new site in the Chicagoland area.
The Solution
GLS began its search by looking for sites in Illinois, northwest Indiana, and southeast Wisconsin. In coordination with one of our logistics partners, shipping scenarios and preliminary costs were developed for the movement of the municipal solid waste, the main feedstock. Through detailed analysis and site due diligence, a brownfield site was selected in Gary, Indiana in December 2018 as the future location for its Centerpoint BioFuels Plant. This new project committed to bringing $600 MM in capital investment and 160 full-time jobs to northwest Indiana.