Exciting new energy enterprises are taking place in Mississippi. Mississippi Power Company announced in 2006 its plans to build an advanced coal gasification facility to generate electricity in Kemper County, Mississippi. The proposed 600-megawatt plant is a $1.8 billion investment and will create approximately 540 new construction jobs and 260 permanent jobs. The plant is expected to be operational in 2013 and will draw from the large reserve of lignite coal in the region. Anthony Topazi, CEO of Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, explains,"In the past it hasn’t been economical to dig [lignite coal] and use it because of its low BTU content. But over the past 15 years, Southern Company has developed technology that works extremely well at converting lignite into fuel. This would be the cleanest, most efficient coal in the world, and would provide big benefits beyond energy, creating 500 to 600 jobs."
In addition, energy companies that have called Mississippi home for years continue to prosper in the state. Chevron’s Pascagoula, Mississippi, refinery has been in operation since 1963 and has grown to become the company’s largest U.S. refinery. In August 2008, Chevron announced it would be expanding the Pascagoula facility, one of three major expansions at the facility the company has announced in the last five years. This latest expansion will create 200 new jobs and is expected to be online by 2011. This year, Chevron was the statewide winner of the Governor’s Cup Award for large businesses, which annually recognizes private sector businesses that have made a significant impact within their communities.
Businesses are drawn to Mississippi in part because the state’s workforce is skilled, plentiful and largely non-unionized. The state is committed to providing quality workforce training and Mississippi has developed numerous training programs, many of which have been developed through partnerships between businesses and the state’s community colleges and are tailored to the specific needs of businesses. The state’s universities also offer excellent educational opportunities as well as cutting-edge research centers. With regard to research in sustainable automotive fuel technologies, earlier this year students from Mississippi State University (MSU) earned top honors for the second consecutive year in the General Motors (GM) and U.S. Department of Energy’s Challenge X student engineering competition. The 2008 competition challenged 17 university teams from the U.S. and Canada to reengineer a Chevrolet Equinox employing advanced powertrain technologies. The MSU team designed a through-the-road parallel hybrid electric vehicle powered by a 1.9L GM direct injection turbo diesel engine fueled by biodiesel.
Energy companies looking to locate or expand can benefit from Mississippi’s strong, supportive business climate, where construction and energy costs are below national averages and business taxes are well below the national average. For 2008, CNBC ranked Mississippi 10th in the nation for cost of living and 17th for cost of doing business, a rating that factors in the state’s business taxes, utility costs, wages and workers’ compensation insurance. The State enacted tort reform legislation in 2004, ensuring fairness in the courtroom for Mississippi businesses. Mississippi’s strong business climate continues to yield substantial benefits, with record employment levels in 2008 and a 26 percent increase in per capita income the last four years.
Companies seeking new sites will find an abundance of land available in the state, and these sites, combined with reliable utilities and one-stop environmental permitting through Mississippi’s Department of Environmental Quality, further position Mississippi as an attractive business location. Finally, the State offers to eligible companies economic incentive programs for job creation, investment, retraining of employees, and research and development activities.
In addition, energy companies that have called Mississippi home for years continue to prosper in the state. Chevron’s Pascagoula, Mississippi, refinery has been in operation since 1963 and has grown to become the company’s largest U.S. refinery. In August 2008, Chevron announced it would be expanding the Pascagoula facility, one of three major expansions at the facility the company has announced in the last five years. This latest expansion will create 200 new jobs and is expected to be online by 2011. This year, Chevron was the statewide winner of the Governor’s Cup Award for large businesses, which annually recognizes private sector businesses that have made a significant impact within their communities.
Businesses are drawn to Mississippi in part because the state’s workforce is skilled, plentiful and largely non-unionized. The state is committed to providing quality workforce training and Mississippi has developed numerous training programs, many of which have been developed through partnerships between businesses and the state’s community colleges and are tailored to the specific needs of businesses. The state’s universities also offer excellent educational opportunities as well as cutting-edge research centers. With regard to research in sustainable automotive fuel technologies, earlier this year students from Mississippi State University (MSU) earned top honors for the second consecutive year in the General Motors (GM) and U.S. Department of Energy’s Challenge X student engineering competition. The 2008 competition challenged 17 university teams from the U.S. and Canada to reengineer a Chevrolet Equinox employing advanced powertrain technologies. The MSU team designed a through-the-road parallel hybrid electric vehicle powered by a 1.9L GM direct injection turbo diesel engine fueled by biodiesel.
Energy companies looking to locate or expand can benefit from Mississippi’s strong, supportive business climate, where construction and energy costs are below national averages and business taxes are well below the national average. For 2008, CNBC ranked Mississippi 10th in the nation for cost of living and 17th for cost of doing business, a rating that factors in the state’s business taxes, utility costs, wages and workers’ compensation insurance. The State enacted tort reform legislation in 2004, ensuring fairness in the courtroom for Mississippi businesses. Mississippi’s strong business climate continues to yield substantial benefits, with record employment levels in 2008 and a 26 percent increase in per capita income the last four years.
Companies seeking new sites will find an abundance of land available in the state, and these sites, combined with reliable utilities and one-stop environmental permitting through Mississippi’s Department of Environmental Quality, further position Mississippi as an attractive business location. Finally, the State offers to eligible companies economic incentive programs for job creation, investment, retraining of employees, and research and development activities.
