WisBusiness: ERCO Worldwide to convert Port Edwards plant

By Brian E. Clark
WisBusiness.com

Superior Plus, the Canadian owner of Port Edwards’ ERCO Worldwide chemical plant, announced Wednesday that it will spend $95 million to convert the facility to a mercury free membrane technology. See release htttp://www.wisbusiness.com/1008/070808ErcoSuperior.pdf

The conversion will begin immediately, the company said, and start-up of what ERCO officials are calling a “state of the art” plant will occur in 2009.

ERCO’s Port Edwards’ plant makes chemicals primarily for the paper industry. It is Wisconsin’s largest airborne emitter of mercury, which is classified as a poison by state and federal agencies.

In a statement, Paul Timmons, President of ERCO Worldwide, said the membrane technology “provides significant environmental benefits over the existing mercury based technology.

“This conversion significantly extends facility life, increases capacity of the facility by approximately 30 percent, reduces operating costs through enhanced efficiency of electrical energy and maintains flexibility in facility operations.”

Todd Stuart, executive director of the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group, called the announcement “fantastic news” for the state’s economy.

“The capital investment of nearly $100 million is significant and it helps retain jobs in central Wisconsin. Further, it helps control costs for our paper industry. This project will help keep the Port Edwards facility viable and competitive for a long time.”

The facility has 100 full-time employees and an annual payroll of $7 million.

Jennifer Feyerherm, coordinator of the Sierra Club’s Wisconsin Clean Energy campaign, lauded the company’s decision.

“This is great,” she said. “It will drastically reduce mercury pollution in our state. What we need to do now is cut the mercury coming from our coal-fired power plants.

“If we can follow suit as our neighbors to west and south are doing and cut mercury from those plants by 90 percent by 2012, we will see waterways and fish start to clean up,” she added.

And George Meyer, executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, called the ERCO announcement “outstanding in terms of water and air quality in the state of Wisconsin.”

Though he praised the Port Edwards plant as being well run, he said it still produces 25 percent of the airborne mercury in the state.

“Getting rid of that pollution is critically important to our members, anglers, their families and all people who consume fish fromour state’s waters,” said Meyer, for head of the Wisconsin Natural Resources Department.

“This company – at a major cost – is acting as a good environmental steward,” he said. “They should be applauded.”