T.L. Wallace wins infrastructure project at KiOR site

NATCHEZ — Adams County supervisors have approved a $522,673 to relocate a sewer line on the former Belwood County Club property, the future site of KiOR’s Natchez alternative fuel production facility.

The Natchez Democrat reports the contract went to T.L. Wallace Construction.

Board Attorney Scott Slover said the bid was approximately $180,000 below the county’s projected price for the project.

Relocating the sewer line is part of the plant to build a levee to protect the Belwood property from the Mississippi River. Engineers say the property is currently prone to flooding during high water.

Bids have not yet been taken on the levee, which the county has estimated to cost about $5 million.

County Engineer Jim Marlow said the sewer line belongs to the City of Natchez and is used in the discharge of treated water into the Mississippi River.

“Right now, the city’s sewer line actually cuts across the middle of the Belwood property,” said engineer Doug Wimberly, with the county’s engineering firm. “That is right where KiOR wants to build their plant, so we are having to move that sewer line up against the port road to get it out of the middle of the site.”

Wimberly said the county is working with KiOR’s engineers on the project to look at site drainage.

“We are hoping to advertise for bids (for the levee) right before the end of the year or in early January,” he said. “The goal is to get it under contract and have the project complete by June or July of next year.”

The company expects that the Natchez facility will yield 72 gallons per bone dry ton. The company’s long-term target is 92 gallons per ton.

Based in Pasadena, Texas, KiOR is also building a $220 million-plus refinery in Lowndes County to extract the equivalent of light crude oil from wood chips. It refines the oil into gasoline and diesel fuel.