New Renewable Energy Plant Opens in South Mississippi

Wood Pellets at the Piney Woods Pellet Plant in Wiggins

A brand new 10 million dollar wood pellet plant has opened in Stone County. MPB’s Phoebe Judge reports on South Mississippi’s latest renewable energy industry.

The 12,000 square foot Piney Woods Pellet plant in Wiggins, which has only been open for a few weeks, converts wood chips from recycled forest waste material into inch long pellets which can then be used as alternative fuel for residential and commercial heating systems. Shawn Dunlap, the lead mill operator at Piney Woods Pellets says this is the fuel of the future,

“It is completely renewable. It’s completely carbon neutral because the amount of carbon that is produced in the production of the pellets is actually equal to or less than the amount of carbon that the tree takes in, in its life cycle.”

The plant will produce 50,000 tons of pellets each year, and has created 27 new jobs in the area. Darren Fagan, another mill operator at the plant, had never heard of wood pellets before but says he is happy to be part of industry which is helping America lessen its dependence on foreign oil,

“In the general scope we need to be more self-sufficient in our country. In order to do that we have to be able to create jobs in the United States, and create our own fuel system, and we can actually help out with that.”

Along with being a renewable energy source, pellets are also affordable says plant manager Terry Dunlap,

“The average home in Mississippi would require 2 tons of pellets a year, which would retail for approximately $250 dollars a ton. So you could have your entire heating needs met for $500 dollars.”

Dunlap says that for every pound of wood pellets produced the United States saves approximately 2 gallons of foreign oil.