Emberclear still interested in Natchez

Published 12:06 am Sunday, July 14, 2013

NATCHEZ — The Canadian-based gas-to-liquids company Emberclear is continuing its consideration of the Natchez area for a possible fuel plant.

Emberclear GTL MS announced in February that it had completed a technical feasibility study for a gas-to-liquids project on an 800-acre site along the Mississippi River near Natchez.

Company officials said at the time the announcement was made as part of full-disclosure rules the company has to follow. Its stock is publicly traded on the Canadian market.

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If the project moves forward, the Emberclear plant will be capable of producing 4,000 tons of methanol per day, or 14,000 barrels of gasoline per day.

Friday, company officials said Emberclear is still exploring its options in Natchez and is monitoring both the markets and evaluating commercial aspects of the proposed project.

While officials were quick to stress that the project is still under development and no final commitment has been made, they said things are progressing as quickly as they can and will continue to do so until all of the variables involved in the project are tied down.

Those variables include the cost of building and feedstock — in this case, natural gas — availability.

When Emberclear announced it had completed the technical feasibility study, Natchez Inc. Executive Director Chandler Russ said the river-access property the company was considering was not the former International Paper site. Other property along the river is privately owned.

Emberclear is an energy development company specializing in low-emission, commercial-scale projects, focusing on creating electricity, industrial chemicals and transportation fuels from natural gas in the United States.