NATCHEZ — A British company aims to build a $300 million refinery in southwest Mississippi to turn wood into the equivalent of diesel or jet fuel.
Velocys announced Friday that it signed an option for a 100-acre site in Natchez.
Chandler Russ of economic development agency Natchez Inc. says Velocys plans 40 refinery jobs averaging $100,000 yearly in pay and benefits, and could indirectly support 100-plus forestry jobs paying $40,000 on average.
Russ says Adams County will pay for levee upgrades and donate land — a package worth $4 million — if Velocys obtains $300 million in financing.
He says Adams County would cut property taxes by two-thirds, worth $42 million. Velocys says it would also get $15 million in state tax breaks, but Mississippi’s state government isn’t contributing money upfront.
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