Epitome project plans moving forward

Planning on the $420 million dollar Epitome Energy project in Grand Forks continues to move forward.

Epitome CEO Dennis Egan this week updated members of the city council on the planning for the soybean crushing plant to date. Egan says permits are pending or approved…product agreements have been reached…and 90% of the engineering work on the plant is in the books.  “Our goal is to have the whole financing package together by the end of the year.  It looks more and more now with fall moving in and the bids coming in on the soil borings that we will move dirt in the spring.”

Around $37.3 million dollars in infrastructure improvements will also be needed: everything from water and wastewater to stormwater and transportation needs. City Administrator Todd Feland says many of the costs will be absorbed by Epitome as part of the development agreement – but there will be some cost shares with the state – especially on the transportation side.

Epitome Energy is eyeing 55 acres of land north of the city. The plant will process up to 42 million bushels of soybeans per year.