Your opinion of the public meeting in Hensall Jan. 21 concerning the much-delayed $150 million GreenField Ethanol plant probably depends on whether you are a glass half-full person, or a glass half-empty person.
On the plus side, while no construction happened a couple of years ago after a groundbreaking ceremony was held in March 2007, it’s good to learn that GreenField is still committed to the project and still intends to build in Hensall. Unfortunately, GreenField won’t provide a date on when that might happen, which means it’s anybody’s guess when the new plant might be built.
As reported, the project was delayed when banks, fearing the oncoming recession which eventually became reality, decided not to loan GreenField $150 million for the project. Since then, area residents have wondered if the project was ever going to go ahead. They’ve also wondered if GreenField would still be on the hook to pay for its portion (more than $6 million) of the new water pipeline to Hensall.
GreenField confirmed at the January meeting in Hensall that the company has been making its pipeline payments and has a “binding contract” with the Municipality of Bluewater to pay its share of the pipeline whether the plant is built or not.
That news probably comes as welcome relief to many Hensallites who were worried about the company pulling up stakes and leaving an unpaid pipeline in their wake.
Kudos to GreenField for holding the meeting and letting the public know where the project stands. And the strong attendance at the meeting shows there is strong interest in the project.
However, the bottom line is we still don’t know when the ethanol plant will be built and when it will be operational — two years? Five years? Ten years? For those depending on the plant to serve as an economic boon to the area, that’s disappointing news, whichever way you spin it.