Source: NEWS9
NOBLE COUNTY, Ohio — MarkWest Energy officials say plans are in place to build another natural gas processing plant in Noble County.
This will be MarkWest’s third facility in the county and workers are moving quickly to build the new plant.
Just like several other communities in the Ohio Valley, Noble County sits in the heart of pipeline work and natural gas reserves. Officials said it expected to bring jobs in a few months and the county is already benefiting from its least money.
The frames of the new cryogenic plant in Summerfield are up and people said it’s already shaping up a once-depressed area.
“Truckload after truckload of stone and there’s a huge excavator that’s employing several people. But I’d say it’s created 300-400 jobs. They are temporary, but when this is done there should be at least 20 permanent jobs,” said Noble County Commissioner Gary Rossiter.
Trucks have been pouring cement and other heavy machines are digging to lay out storage areas and the plant. The facility will be on about 70 acres of land.
“We average about $5,000 an acre on the lease. So we’re using that money to repair the courthouse,” Rossiter said.
A sizable sum of the lease money will also go to Noble Local School District.
Officials said the budget is looking up after a major industry left the area depressed some years ago.
“It’s holding its own for a change. A lot of ways there’s no way to create new tax revenue unless something like comes along in your community and expands it,” Rossiter said.
MarkWest officials said this plant will produce high-grade propane that will go to the Hopedale fractionator site. They hope to start operations by September.
Officials said they’re asking people to be patient with the increased truck traffic and said people have to accept those cons to help the community move forward.