In Chicago, New Energy Blue and ARCO/Murray have partnered to build out the New Energy Biomass Refinery platform across the American Midwest. ARCO/Murray will construct the flagship New Energy Freedom biomass refinery in Mason City, IA to process corn stalks into second-generation fuel ethanol and clean lignin at commercial capacity. The construction contract is worth $650 million.
The partners plan to break ground later this year and start up the refinery in 2026. It is projected to create
400 and 500 high-paying construction positions over a 20-month period. Refinery operators and feedstock suppliers from New Energy Farmers aggregation team will hold about 70 permanent jobs carrying an annual payroll of $7 million.
Following Freedom’s successful completion, New Energy Blue and ARCO/Murray have agreed to extend their partnership to four more New Energy biomass refineries in the next five years, clustered near the first to take advantage of the area’s abundance of corn stover.