There's bits and pieces that add to the suspense if one was to read between the lines.
At the 10/18/12 Port Board Meeting, BMSPF is given a 90 day lease option for 90 acres (Agenda Item 10). At the same Board meeting, Baton Rouge Transit,LLC, has an Option to Lease Agreement with the Port (Agenda Item 13).
At their 11/15/12 Board Meeting Baton Rouge Transit,LLC, is announced to have a 10 year lease for a wood pellet transloading facility.
Your 12/17/12 Press Release from Drax announces a port storage and loading facility at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. I don't see Drax in the Port's meeting minutes or building a pellet plant at Baton Rouge.
My speculation:
1) Baton Rouge Transit,LLC is Drax in the disguise of an LLC (anyone can create an LLC).
2) The fact that both are named in the 10/18/12 Board meeting minutes makes me think that both were intended to co-exist at the same site all along.
3) With BMSPF leasing 90 acres and Baton Rouge Transit,LLC leasing 10, they aren't competing for the same site.
4) With one building a pellet plant and the other building a transloading facility, my guess is they're partners.
5) With Drax building plants at two other pellet producing sites, my guess is BMSPF's site will have the the capability to sell directly to Drax as a third supplier.
6) Government Incentives mentioned in the Drax article sound very similar to those offered to BMSPF.
Anyway, it's getting interesting. I think I'll stick around for a while.
Phillip
