Gov. Walz announces $213 million biomanufacturing facility in Marshall

(ABC 6 News) – Governor Tim Walz today announced Minnesota has secured funding that will finance Bioforge Marshall LLC, a 500,000-square-foot biomanufacturing facility in Marshall, Minnesota.

According to a press release, the plant, owned by Solugen, a climate technology company focused on minimizing carbon emissions, will utilize Minnesota grown corn to manufacture chemicals usually made from oil. The release says this will result in significantly lower carbon emissions.

“This investment in sustainable manufacturing is a major win for Minnesota and a big step towards our goal of carbon free electricity by 2040,” said Governor Walz. “Solugen’s expansion will help reduce greenhouse gasses while creating jobs and placing Minnesota at the forefront of biotechnology and biomanufacturing. With this partnership we’re ensuring a greener future and putting Minnesota on the map as a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”

The project is funded by a $213.6 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office. An additional $15 million will come from the Minnesota Forward Fund, a new Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) program Gov. Walz signed into law last year.

The release says that the facility will manufacture various organic acids for use in concrete, cleaning, agriculture, and energy industries.

The operations are expected to reduce emissions equivalent to powering 3500 American homes annually. The project is also expected to create up to 100 jobs during construction and 56 manufacturing jobs.

Construction is expected to be completed by 2025.