Wilmington-based Chemtex International has decided to proceed with its proposed biofuels plant in Sampson County, North Carolina officials announced Monday.

Gov. Pat McCrory and N.C. commerce secretary Sharon Decker issued a joint statement stating that Biochemtex and its partners will invest about $200 million over the next three years in its new cellulosic biofuels production facility. The plant is expected to create 65 new jobs that pay significantly more than the average Sampson County annual wage.

Salaries will vary by job function, but the average annual wage for the new jobs will be about $47,000 plus benefits, according to the news release. The Sampson County average annual wage is $30,822.

Biochemtex, part of Chemtex International, is a global technology company that specializes in biofuels and renewable chemicals. The company will operate in North Carolina as Carolina Cellulosic Biofuels, which was established earlier this year as a special purpose vehicle for delivering the first commercial-scale cellulosic bio-refinery using crops grown for the purpose in the state’s coastal plain, according to the news release.

The release stated that the new facility will produce 20 million gallons per year of cellulosic biofuel from locally grown energy crops, agricultural residues and woody biomass.

In early July, Chemtex announced receiving approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the use of Arundo donax – also known as giant cane, giant reed and cane grass – to produce next-generation biofuel. The plant will grow in less-than-ideal weather and soil conditions and, the company believes, will do well in North Carolina’s coastal plain.

In its July announcement, Chemtex officials said that if it proceeded with the biofuels project, it would use Arundo donax and other plant materials in a trademarked process called Proesa to produce fuels with lower greenhouse gas emissions than in so-called “first generation” technologies and at costs competitive with fossil fuel production.

That announcement was soon followed by another from Chemtex, announcing the signing of a long-term agreement with Murphy-Brown LLC of Warsaw to grow a number of biofuel crops on about 6,000 acres owned or controlled by Murphy-Brown. The crops, grown on acreage not typically used for grain production, would represent the “backbone of the supply chain” for the biofuels plant, Chemtex officials said at the time.

“Biochemtex is excited to bring our Proesa technology platform and our partners to eastern North Carolina," Guido Ghisolfi, CEO and owner of Biochemtex, said in Monday’s release. “We’ve already engaged with regional farms and farmers for the supply of energy crops, and we see great opportunity for growth and additional projects where regional infrastructure matches need.”
 
Biochemtex’s project was made possible in part by a performance-based grant from the One North Carolina Fund, which will pay the company as much as $300,000, according to the news release. The fund provides financial assistance, through local governments, to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state, officials said. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and investment performance standards to qualify for grant funds. The grants also require and are contingent upon local matches.