Perry, Ohio-based RES Polyflow, a producer of renewable energy products, said on Tuesday that it plans to invest $182 million to build and equip a manufacturing plant in Steuben County that's expected to employ 136 by 2019.
The plant will sit on 80 acres adjacent to Interstate 69 in the northeast Indiana community of Ashley. RES Polyflow initially plans to invest $90 million, with investment increasing to $182 million by 2019.
RES Polyflow initially plans to convert 100,000 tons of scrap plastic into 17 million gallons of ultra-low sulfur diesel and gasoline blendstocks a year for the petroleum market. It anticipates more than doubling production once the facility is fully operational in 2021.
The company plans to begin hiring next summer. Positions are expected to pay about 45 percent more than the Steuben County average wage of about $19.60 an hour.
Founded in 2012, RES Polyflow produces energy products from difficult-to-recycle plastic and rubber waste. This Steuben County facility will be the company’s first using plastics-to-fuel technology.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered RES Polyflow LLC up to $900,000 in tax credits and up to $100,000 in training grants based on its job-creation plans. These incentives are performance-based, meaning the company is not eligible to claim incentives until workers are hired. The town of Ashley and Steuben County will consider additional incentives.