Besicorp-Empire Development Company, LLC

The Besicorp-Empire Newsprint Project is currently being developed by Besicorp-Empire Development Company, LLC (BEDCO). BEDCO is a joint venture between Besicorp Development, LLC and Empire State Newsprint, LLC, with Besicorp Development holding controlling interests.

BEDCO brings an experienced management team with a proven track record to develop, design, permit, finance, build and operate large industrial facilities. Besicorp has successfully developed seven cogeneration facilities in upstate New York, four of which were at paper manufacturing facilities.

The goal of this web site is to provide the project's many interested parties with up to date information and resources to learn more about the project.

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OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT

THE PROJECT

The Newsprint Project is a recycled newsprint manufacturing facility that will process over 400,000 metric tons per year of old newspaper and magazines to produce 335,000 metric tons per year of 100% recycled, high quality newsprint.

THE SITE

The BASF property in the City of Rensselaer, New York, is the site for the project. BASF ceased production at this site in December 2000 and has remediated the site to ready it for reuse.

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EMPLOYMENT

It is anticipated that the project will employ over 700 workers at peak construction with an estimated payroll of about $100 million. During operation, the project will employ upwards of 200 people with an estimated payroll of about $10 million per year. In addition, the multiplier effect of the project through products and services will have a significant positive impact on the local economy.

PROJECT BENEFITS

The project represents a model for modern, environmentally sound industrial development. Construction of a newspaper recycling facility on a remediated brownfield site provides benefits such as:

• Anticipated use of thermal energy from a neighboring combined-cycle power plant in a significantly more efficient and environmentally friendly manner than a conventional boiler.
• Remediating an existing contaminated site, and redeploying it for productive use.
• Recycling over 400,000 metric tons of waste paper annually that might otherwise be buried in a landfill, exported and/or incinerated.
• Reducing impacts on the Hudson River from withdrawal of water for process use by using a state-of-the-art intake system plus seasonal deployment of a special screen to prevent ingestion of fish eggs and larvae.
• Location in an Economic Development Zone (EDZ) makes the project eligible for reduced energy costs for its gas and electric delivery from the local utility.

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