The wood pellet facility in Aliceville, Alabama has got the certificate by the Sustainable Biomass Partnership, which is a constituent part of the global organization NSF International Strategic Registrations.
Westervelt company announced about their intentions to construct a new pellet facility in Aliceville in May 2011. This plant would be the first unit of the larger wood pellet platform by Westervelt Co. In October, 2011 on completing of the groundbreaking ceremony by officials the construction works started, so that to begin pellet production in early 2012.
The Aliceville pellet plant capacity amounts to about 250,000 metric tons of pellets per year with consequent extension up to 500,000 metric tons. The company's pellet production supplies the domestic needs and foreign markets of wood pellets as well. Pellets are mainly produced from southern yellow pine and also sawmill residual when available. According to Robby Johnson, the marketing manager of Westervelt Company, that's Westervelt who is in charge of raw material supplies: "The company will be responsible for the raw materials, consisting of company's and third-party wood".
According to Robby Johnson they had chosen to set their facility near Aliceville because of its location on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in west-central Pickens County, Alabama. The former Huyck Felt Plant was situated here, and once it was very profitable. But the operation on the plant stopped, remaining its utility infrastructure, which appeared to be convenient for the new Westervelt facility. "The existing structure will not be utilized unless the company decides to go on with the expansion of the facility at later date" – added Johnson.
The plant brings new opportunities for development of the region. The Old Huyck Felt plant had earlier provided hundreds of well-paid jobs. Local authorities made efforts to create new jobs for Pickens County, but the employment situation in the region changed only after the Wetervelt pellet plant had started its operation. It created at least a hundred permanent jobs, 30 of which are jobs at the plant and more than 80 logging and trucking jobs. Robert Bentley, Alabama Governor, said concerning this fact: "It's wonderful, that we can get new jobs in Pickens County".
On 25 September, 2015 the Westervelt company announced, that their pellet plant located in Aliceville had been certified to the Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) Framework by global organization NSF International Strategic Registrations.
The SBP certificate issued to the Westervelt company comprises the wood pellet manufacturing, terms of their transportation and trading. Peter Wilson, Executive Director of SBP commented on the Aliceville plant certification: "We are delighted at the news of Westervelt's certification, as the first of the kind in the implementation of the SBP Framework".
Alicia Cramer, the President of Westervelt Renewable Energy remarked: "The fact, that we are looking for an internationally-recognized certification for our renewable energy facility validates our commitment to best management practices". With SBP certification, the company gave another evidence of their long-established sustainable practices and wish for further development.
The Sustainable Biomass Partnership launched their SBP Framework to the representatives of the EU institutions in Brussels in spring this year. This certification program consists of standards and certification procedures, which provides an instrument for woody biomass producers to demonstrate the legal and sustainable nature of their business. Certification also verifies that raw materials comply with all the requirements. As Dorothy Thompson, SBP chairman said: "Biomass is only a true renewable energy if it is sourced responsibly and sustainably and ABP fully recognizes that."
According to Executive director of SBP Peter Wilson, the SBP Framework used existing schemes for certification as the basis and developed additional criteria to ensure compliance with all the requirements for biomass production. He also emphasized: that all the members of the SBP are large-scale participants of the wood biomass industry, thus, SBP certification is desirable for biomass producers. The Manager of NSF International’s Forestry Programs Norman Boatwright in this context remarked: "By streamlining the process of compliance with European standards, it becomes more desirable and profitable for global woody biomass producers, especially those here in North America, to certify to the SBP standard".
NSF International is a certification, testing and inspection organization, founded in 1944. Initially it aimed at standardizing of food safety requirements. Currently it provides many services. The Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) is a NSF unit and it applies their own standards to check if companies in biomass sector work in compliance with legal and sustainability requirements.
The Westervelt company was founded by Herbert Westervelt as a paper corporation in 1884. Currently the company conducts business in forestry, renewable energy, ecological restoration, Real estate and banking sectors. Headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
