Renewable bioenergy manufacturing facility to locate in Central Georgia

ATLANTA, Jan. 11, 2007 -The Georgia Department of Economic Development announced today that Fram Renewable Fuels will construct a renewable biofuel mill in Appling County, near Baxley, Georgia. The company will create at least 20 new full-time jobs and expects to generate approximately 90 more jobs in supporting forestry and shipping-related businesses. 'Alternative energy production is important not just to Georgia, but to the world,' said Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. 'Our state has the right resources, know-how and infrastructure to support new technologies and innovative businesses. This project is a win-win for our state - economically and environmentally.' The mill, which will produce wood fuel pellets, will be known as Appling County Pellets, LLC, a fully owned and operated subsidiary of Fram Renewable Fuels, LLC in Savannah. The operation will be the first of several mills the company plans to build in Georgia and elsewhere. The company plans to begin hiring workers this summer and projects that production will start in the fall. 'Our major markets will be in Europe, where the pellets can be used to generate electricity, eliminating much of the fossil fuel emissions that contribute to global warming,' said John Colquitt, president of Fram Renewable Fuels. 'We chose this location for our first operation because of the rich forestry resources, great community support and easy access to our markets through the Brunswick and Savannah ports.' 'The operation will be non-polluting, since it's essentially a drying facility,' added Harold Arnold, vice president of Fram, who will oversee the mill's construction and operation. 'The mill will provide a market for forestry waste, including sawdust, bark and logging debris, which is often an unused resource left in the woods by logging crews. Removing logging debris also makes it easier to carry out reforestation.' Fram will be the first tenant of the Sweetwater Industrial park, a tri-county park developed by the Southeast Georgia Regional Development Authority, which covers Appling, Bacon, and Jeff Davis counties. 'We are pleased to welcome Fram Renewable Fuels to our region and excited to be a part of the new wave of alternative fuel development,' said Dale Atkins, chairman of the authority. 'This operation will be good for the company, good for our region and good for the environment.' The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development.