Southwest Arkansas has been issued a BDO Zone 'AA' rating for woody biomass, a step above the 'A' rating awarded to Moore County, North Carolina, earlier this month. The rating was announced jointly by the Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance, Ecostrat and the BDO Zone Initiative.
The zone is rated for 1,026,000 bone dry tons a year of low-risk woody biomass and covers a 75-mile drive radius centred on Prescott, Arkansas. The 'AA' grade signals very high prospective viability of feedstock supply and infrastructure, and low expectations of default risk.
The rating rests on a structural surplus of woody biomass. Timber growth in the region outpaces removals, with a growth-to-drain ratio of 1.6. The zone also has an established procurement network and a diversified supplier base spanning three states.
The anchor site is Prescott Industrial Park, a 126-acre site on Interstate 30. It has on-site rail via the Prescott & Northwestern Railroad, 13.8 kV electric service, natural gas from Summit Utilities, and municipal water and sewer. Together with competitive regional labour costs, the zone offers what the partners describe as a low-risk profile for biobased industrial development.
Anna Lee Powell, President of the Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance, said: "Southwest Arkansas has the feedstock, the workforce, and the site-ready infrastructure to support serious biobased investment. This 'AA' rating reflects the strength of our region's sustainably managed timberland and the readiness of Southwest Arkansas, and we see it as a meaningful signal to developers and investors looking for a very low-risk, high-viability location on the I-30 corridor."
Mary Godwin, Director of Prescott Economic Development, said: "The designation of a BDO zone for the Prescott Industrial Park represents a significant opportunity to position Prescott and Southwest Arkansas as a regional hub for woody-biomass utilization and advanced biofuel development. The AA rating will signal to investors and bioenergy developers that the Prescott Industrial Park is positioned to compete nationally for new bio-based manufacturing facilities that will support biomass supply chain, renewable fuels, biomass energy and other emerging bio products."
Jordan Solomon, Chairman of the BDO Zone Initiative, pointed to the depth of the feedstock. "Southwest Arkansas combines a structural oversupply of pulpwood with a significant, largely untapped forest residue stream and a feedstock profile that's hard to match. When you pair that with a shovel-ready, rail- and interstate-served industrial site in Prescott, this is one of the strongest signals we can send to biobased developers about where to locate their next project."
