The Moore County Economic Development Partnership (MCEDP) has been awarded a $75,000 Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development to obtain a Biofuel Development Opportunity (BDO) Zone Rating – the first of its kind in North Carolina.
The rating will provide third-party validation of Moore County’s capacity to support biobased businesses, helping attract high-quality jobs and capital investment to the area.
The BDO Zone Rating is part of the BDO Zone Initiative, a certification and risk rating program that evaluates geographic areas based on their potential to support biobased development. The rating provides biobased companies and investors with credible, independent assessment of an area’s biomass supply chain and infrastructure capabilities using national standards.
To obtain the rating, MCEDP has contracted with Ecostrat, a leading biomass development and supply chain assessment firm that developed and implemented the rating system. Ecostrat has completed more than 45 BDO Zone Ratings across the United States and Canada.
“Biomass” encompasses a wide variety of renewable organic materials from plants and animals, including wood, crops, and waste products. Moore County possesses significant woody biomass resources, particularly in the northern part of the county, along with infrastructure advantages that position it well for biomanufacturing investment.
The 12-month project will focus on a 25-mile radius – the BDO Zone – from the Town of Robbins, designated as the central point for future biomass projects. Within the BDO Zone, Ecostrat will evaluate up to 21 infrastructure risk indicators (utilities, transportation, labor, etc.).
Ecostrat’s comprehensive assessment will also evaluate up to 54 biomass feedstock supply and supply chain risk indicators in the Supply Zone, a 75-mile drive distance from Robbins, and up to 9 existing user risk and competition market indicators in the Competition Zone, a 150-mile drive distance from Robbins.
Ecostrat’s deliverables will include the BDO rating, valid for two years, and a Risk Assessment Report prepared in accordance with the national Biomass Supply Chain Risk (BSCR) Standards. Additionally, the company will collaborate with MCEDP on a strategic marketing campaign to promote Moore County globally to attract bioeconomy investment to the area.
“Biomass and biobased development is a growing industry sector and represents a new recruitment focus for Moore County,” said Darryn Burich, MCEDP’s business development director. “Given the substantial woody biomass assets concentrated particularly in northern Moore County, we anticipate receiving a favorable rating of at least ‘BBB’ or higher.
“A high rating will provide third-party validation and worldwide recognition that Moore County is an advantageous location for biobased project development,” Burich added. “It reduces investor risk, differentiates Moore County as a sustainable biomass market, and will significantly enhance MCEDP’s efforts to recruit woody biobased projects including manufacturing, clean energy production, and environmental and sustainability applications.”
“The BDO Rating will serve as a powerful economic development engine for biobased project development in Moore County and the surrounding region,” said MCEDP president Natalie Hawkins. “We look forward to leveraging Ecostrat’s expertise to strategically position Moore County for successful recruitment of projects that can support our existing agricultural industry in northern Moore County. We are grateful to USDA Rural Development for the RBDG funding that provides this important economic development opportunity for our region.”
Ecostrat is a North American leader in assessing, developing, optimizing, and managing biomass supply chains. The company developed the U.S. and Canadian National Standards for Biomass Supply Chain Risk (BSCR) and continues to refine the BSCR Risk Ratings methodology and protocols. Ecostrat maintains North America’s largest proprietary biomass availability database.
Moore County Economic Development Partnership is a 501c(3) not-for-profit economic development organization and public-private partnership serving all of Moore County, NC. MCEDP’s mission is to “increase economic prosperity and improve the quality of life for Moore County’s citizens through the creation of quality jobs and capital investment in our communities.”
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Feature photo by Sandhills Sentinel photographer Melissa Schaub.
Contributed article.
