MAINE PUBLIC • January 31, 2025
A national biofuels company says it plans to site a new plant at the former Great Northern Paper mill in Millinocket. Castlerock Biofuels will convert logging residue from local forestry operations to into 20 million gallons of bio-oil per year, says company CEO John Murphy. Murphy says bio-crude from wood produces much lower emissions than traditional heating oil. He says the plant processing the wood will be powered by electricity from the nearby hydropower dam in Brookfield. The facility is expected to be operational by 2027. And according to Our Katahdin, a community development nonprofit, the new project should create 150 construction jobs, and once up and running, 80 full-time jobs in the area.