Investors plan to develop $90 million biorefinery in Goose Creek

Listen to this article

Berkeley County is about to get a $90 million injection to create a crude, tall oil biorefinery at the Charleston International Manufacturing Center at Bushy Park in Goose Creek.

Mainstream Pine Products LLC plans to transform the 10-acre site into a recycling facility to produce the oil, according to a news release from Charleston Regional Development Alliance.

Used in paper manufacturing, crude, tall oil is a renewable, nonfood source and a byproduct of pine trees. It is used in a number of chemicals for the production of renewable diesel processing products, lubricants, adhesives, inks, paints, coatings, and tire and rubber additives.

Mainstream Pine Products President and CEO Rob Helwick said the company performed a nationwide search for the best location to expand its operations and landed on South Carolina.

“The Goose Creek site was unsurpassed among many we considered,” he said in a statement. “It affords us an ideal manufacturing location in an integrated industrial park with reliable infrastructure and intermodal access for efficient delivery of source materials and shipping of refined products.”

The recycling center is expected to process 110,000 tons of CTO for a variety of industrial applications. Groundbreaking and construction are scheduled to begin later this year with an expected opening in 2023 in the 1,750-acre manufacturing park, owned and operated by Cooper River Partners.

“All things being equal, we believe the general population prefers renewable products, and the biorefinery acknowledges the world’s increasing demand for more sustainable goods,” Helwick said.

The expansion speaks to South Carolina’s growing reputation as a place where the renewable materials sector can thrive, S.C. Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt said.

“Berkeley County is widely recognized as a prevailing hub for manufacturing in both the region and state; and we are pleased to welcome this industry to Goose Creek to help supply and support our County’s existing industries as well as create more quality jobs and career opportunities for our citizens,” Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Crib said in a statement.