“Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!” wrote South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley on her Facebook page, breaking the news to fans about Climax Global Energy Inc.’s establishment of a state-of-the-art plastics-to-oil facility in Barnwell County. The $5 million investment is expected to generate 20 new jobs in Blackville, SC, and make a palpable impact on the 1,100 households that currently reside there.
In a news release posted by the South Carolina Department of Commerce, Blackville Mayor Mike Beasley joined Governor Haley’s excitement, adding,
Start-up businesses like Climax Global Energy are the backbone of South Carolina’s economy, and make up most employers in our state. We appreciate the company’s decision to locate its initial operations in the Town of Blackville.
Thomas Pinto, chief operating officer of Climax Global Energy, said the company was excited about working with Barnwell County’s “talented workforce” to commercialize the plastics-to-oil technology. The new employees will help convert non-recycled plastics into high-grade synthetic crude oil, which can be refined to make transportation fuels, synthetic lubricants and commercial waxes.
The technology adds to a growing number of advanced processes used to recover energy from resources once thought of as waste. Climax Global Energy has developed a process that converts non-recycled plastics – which often have greater energy values than coal – into crude oil.
More and more communities are exploring alternative energy technologies like this one, and for good reason. Not only does recovering energy from waste create lasting American jobs, it helps divert a valuable resource (plastics) from landfills while generating energy that can be used to power our homes, vehicles and businesses.
Technologies that recover energy from non-recycled plastics are allowing communities to tap into an abundant source of alternative energy that has enormous potential to help the U.S. meet its economic and environmental goals. And it’s another reason to support a comprehensive energy policy that will draw on our nation’s diverse energy supplies to help power our future.
