The company’s lease agreement with the port is for $70,000 per year for 10 years, with three options to renew for 10 years. In addition, the company will pay for barge and rail tonnage, making the port’s total revenue from the operation about $100,000 per year, Robinson said.

The lease agreement gives Nova 120 days to secure the permits necessary to build the plant, he said.

The plant will take about one year to build, Robinson said.

Robinson said the energy market is seeing explosive growth with biodiesel and ethanol plant proposals, and at least four companies looked at locating at the Port of Muskogee.

Jones said he met with Nova representatives when they visited Muskogee and was very impressed with them.

“They are an aggressive company that’s already in existence, with plants in other places,” Jones said. “That was real important to us, because we didn’t just want to do a startup company, not knowing whether they are going to make it or not. This is a company that has a past and a history.”

Jones said he hopes the company will not just build here, but also will eventually expand its operation.

Similar plants in Iowa provide positive growth

Dennis Leuver, president of the Clinton, Iowa, Chamber of Commerce, said that is what’s happening with the biodiesel facilities in that community.

“Our experience has been very, very positive,” he said.

One plant opened a couple of months ago and is producing about seven million gallons of soy diesel fuel per year and already is headed toward increasing production to 20 million gallons per year. A second plant is organizing and is looking at building a 60 million gallon facility with a $75 million investment.

The plants have had a very positive impact on the area’s economy, Leuver said.

“You’ve got the dollar value of a lot of equipment that’s being purchased, consumed and used, and it just provides another source of income to help with the overall price of soybeans,” he said.