Washington, D.C.: As international demand for renewable energy continues to soar, Enviva LP (“Enviva”), a leading manufacturer of processed biomass fuel in the United States and Europe opened its Virginia-based deep water port terminal with its first shipment of wood pellets departing the facility on December 31. The 28,000 metric tons of wood pellets are bound for one of Enviva’s European utility customers on board the MV Daishin Maru.

“As the biomass industry matures and export volumes rise into the millions of tons per year, we will need to translate our focus on safety, quality, and reliability, to storage and terminalling operations,” said Chairman and CEO John Keppler. “We expect Enviva’s Port of Chesapeake facility to be a flagship operation, demonstrating excellence in this area and proving our capability to build the sustainable infrastructure necessary to support the tremendous growth that is projected for solid, renewable biomass resources.”

Since construction on the terminal began in February, Enviva has significantly modified the existing site, installing a 45,000 metric ton silo to store wood pellets produced at its mid-Atlantic facilities and converting it to an export and import terminal. The investment in and expansion of the terminal has required approximately 25 separate contractors, employing highly skilled workers during the construction phase. The terminal’s permanent staff of 14, including both Enviva and Paradise Point Marine employees, is expected to double by the third year of operation under Enviva, which will use local maintenance contractors and other vendors whenever possible.

In November, Enviva opened its wood pellet facility in Ahoskie, N.C. and recently announced plans for two new facilities in North Carolina and Virginia. These new sites are strategically located near the Chesapeake, Va. port minimizing the environmental footprint of transportation. As production at its plants continues to increase, the company expects to have ships moving through the port terminal every week and a half in a year’s time.