Strategically situated on the banks of the Mississippi River, the Drax Biomass Wood Pellet Storage and Loading Facility at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge was constructed to store and export biomass wood pellets to the United Kingdom.  Nestled in the shadow of the Horace Wilkinson Bridge, which carries Interstate 10, the wood pellet facility is highly visible to all who cross the mighty river on a daily basis.  Depending on which way you are going, it is the first or last thing you see when crossing the river in and out of Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge Transit Facility, its official name, will play a vital role in Draxs bid to become the worlds largest single site producer of renewable, baseload power.

Wood pellets are a renewable, low-carbon power source made from sustainable biomass.  The new facility will receive these pellets from regional manufacturing facilities throughout the Southeast.  At the port, the pellets will then be stored and loaded onto vessels for shipment to the United Kingdom.  The facility will be designed to accommodate delivery of pellets by rail and truck and will have the capacity to store approximately 80,000 metric tons of biomass pellets in two very distinct and eye-catching white domes. Wood pellet storage and transport is a very harsh environment due to the wide variety of types of wood and the release of chemicals and moisture needed for processing. Pellets require moisture levels of 12 15% for processing.  Expediting the flow of material was a major goal of the plant design, making some areas inaccessible to maintenance; HDG made it a nonissue because of its low maintenance requirements. While the initial cost of HDG is competitive, the life-cycle cost proved that corrosion control did not have to be an expense issue.

Conveyors capable of moving 1,800 tons of pellets per hour will connect the rail and truck unloading buildings with the domes. The conveyors move pellets to the top of the domes and onto the waiting piles. When its time to move pellets out of the storage dome and onto a waiting vessel, the pellets will gravity-feed to conveyors situated underneath the domes for final movement to the ship loader.  The last sequence of conveyors and the mobile shiploader will be capable of moving 1,200 metric tons of pellets per hour, loading a Panamax carrier in three days without ever having to reposition the vessel.

The facility will be highly visible to thousands of commuters crossing the Horace Wilkinson Interstate 10 bridge and needs to be aesthetically pleasing.  Baton Rouge is located in a humid subtropical climate with mild winters, humid summers, heavy rainfall and the possibility of damaging tornado and hurricane force winds.  It is also considered a major industrial, petrochemical center of the American South, which means the Wood Pellet storage and loading facility is located in the most corrosive, environment in North America.  Logistically, time is money, therefore Drax Biomass needed a cost effective low maintenance, durable corrosion protections system that would prevent facility downtime for continual maintenance and repairs.  HDG was the obvious choice for a corrosion protection system considering the high visibility by daily commuters, harsh subtropical climate, the very corrosive Industrial environment and the low maintenance needed. HDG will provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance, a low maintenance superior barrier and cathodic protection from the environment and will assist in maintaining the plants structural integrity for many years to come.