NOTE: THIS UPDATED VERSION OF THE STORY REFLECTS COMMENTS BY GOV. PAT MCCRORY AND TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY TONY TATA FOLLOWING THEIR TOUR OF THE PORT OF WILMINGTON MONDAY.
After touring the Port of Wilmington Monday afternoon, Gov. Pat McCrory spoke briefly with media representatives about his vision for the state ports.
"The future is bright," he said, adding that the state will focus on improving the infrastructure for its two ports, and will continue to seek niche products through which the North Carolina ports can compete effectively with other southeastern U.S. ports, notably those at Charleston and Savannah.
Asked if infrustructure improvements would include restarting rail service between Castle Hayne and Wallace, McCrory referred the question to Tony Tata, N.C. secretary of transportation, who accompanied the governor on the port tour.
"The Wallace-Castle Hayne railroad link project has been added to the Highway Trust Fund and is on the list for consideration," Tata said. "It should compete well. We're doing the judging and scoring now and should know soon where the project stands."
Tata also answered a question on the status of a wood pellet storage facility planned for the Port of Wilmington, saying that the facility is still in the planning stages but that construction is scheduled to begin in September. The wood pellet project could increase the port's capacity by as much as 5 percent, McCrory added.
A wood pellet facility is also on the docket for the Port of Morehead City.
McCrory also referred to the planned cold storage facility, a public-private project in which the state is partnering with locally based USA InvestCo, as another bright spots in the port's future.
This was McCrory's first visit to the Port of Wilmington, said Ports Authority spokeswoman Laura Blair. The governor, accompanied by Tata and several staffers, got onto one of the port's giant cranes for an up-close look at how containers are moved onto and off ships.
He also visited the sites of the future wood pellet and cold storage facilities.
In February, the N.C. Ports Authority board approved the public-private partnership arrangement for the facility with developer Chuck Schoninger and his company, USA InvestCo. to build a 75,000-square-foot cold storage facility that would store locally produced pork, poultry, fruits and vegetables. If demand for space grows, the facility could be expanded to as much as 300,000 square feet, according to a news release from the N.C. Department of Commerce.
USA InvestCo plans to invest more than $15 million in development of the cold storage facility, which is projected to employ 100 people, the state’s news release stated.
“North Carolina exported nearly $4 billion worth of agricultural products in 2012,” N.C. agriculture commissioner Steve Troxler said in a Dec. 16 release from the governor's office. “Upgrades to the port at Wilmington will help our farmers and agribusinesses boost that number even higher. The cold storage facility is a vital piece of infrastructure that our producers have needed for a long time, and I’m happy that a public-private partnership will be able to make it a reality.”
At the announcement in October of Acme Smoked Fish Corp.’s decision to build a seafood processing plant in Pender County, officials with the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based company said that the site’s proximity to the Port of Wilmington and the potential for using a future cold storage facility was a factor in selection of the site.
Wood pellet storage facilities at the two ports will store the North Carolina wood products used in energy production in many countries prior to their shipment abroad, are still in the early stages.
