Centerpoint BioFuels Plant

Project Information

Centerpoint Key Facts

$600 Million

Economic Investment - Biorefinery

130

Full Time Jobs at the Biorefinery

700,000

Tons Waste Diverted from Regional Landfills Annually

33 Million Gallons

of Low Carbon Fuel Produced Annually

2025

Expected Operations

About Fulcrum

Fulcrum BioEnergy is a pioneer the production of clean transportation fuels from municipal solid waste and the world's first producer of low-carbon, sustainable aviation fuel from household garbage.

Fulcrum produces clean, certified jet fuel that is a renewable, cost-competitive alternative to traditional petroleum-based fuels and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80% compared to conventional petroleum.

Fulcrum is helping to address two global challenges:

  • Reducing the amount of household garbage going into landfills and their associated environmental impacts (including greenhouse gas/methane emissions); and
  • Reducing carbon emissions from transportation, namely commercial aviation, to help address climate change.

Fulcrum is backed by a number of industry leading strategic partners, including United Airlines, BP, Cathay Pacific Airways, Japan Airlines, Marubeni, Waste Management, Waste Connections and the U.S. Department of Defense.

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Project Overview

We partner with communities to develop our BioFuels plants and create jobs.

Fulcrum is actively developing the Centerpoint BioFuels Plant in Northwest Indiana. Fulcrum's proprietary process is spread across three separate facilities:

  • The Centerpoint Biorefinery - located on 75 acres within a designated industrial zone in Gary, Indiana.
  • Two Feedstock Processing Facilities - located outside of Gary in Indiana and Illinois.

In every community we operate, Fulcrum makes major investments that help grow the local economy, create clean energy jobs, reduce landfill disposal and accelerate energy innovation across the country.

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Project Overview

We partner with communities to develop our plants and create jobs.

Fulcrum is actively developing the Centerpoint BioFuels Plant in Northwest Indiana. Fulcrum's proprietary process is spread across three separate facilities:

  • The Centerpoint Biorefinery - located on 75 acres within a designated industrial zone in Gary, Indiana.
  • Two Feedstock Processing Facilities - located outside of Gary in Indiana and Illinois.

In every community we operate, Fulcrum makes major investments that help grow the local economy, create clean energy jobs, reduce landfill disposal and accelerate energy innovation across the country.

City of Gary Zoning Map - Centerpoint
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Centerpoint Facts

  • Economic Investment in Centerpoint Biorefinery: $600+ million
  • Direct Employment at Centerpoint Biorefinery: 130 full-time operational jobs and 1,000 construction jobs
  • Indirect Employment: Numerous jobs supporting the facility including technical trades, logistics and supply chain
  • Biorefinery Average Wage: $30 per hour, plus above industry average employee benefits
  • Timeline: Expected commercial operations in 2025
  • Waste Removed: Approximately 700,000 tons per year of waste diverted from regional landfills
  • Fuel Produced: Approximately 33 million gallons of low-carbon fuel produced each year

How It Works

Fulcrum has developed an innovative process that transforms municipal solid waste (MSW) that would otherwise be sent to a landfill into low-cost, low-carbon renewable transportation fuels while generating well-paying jobs.

Importantly, Fulcrum’s process uses fully licensed technologies that are commercially proven and have been used around the world for decades in other applications. Fulcrum’s first commercial facility near Reno, NV - the Sierra BioFuels Plant - is in the process of starting operations and will be fully operational before construction begins on Centerpoint.

The Fulcrum Process includes four key stages:

DIVERT

Divert municipal solid waste from landfills

SORT

Sort, separate and process

GASIFY

Gasify to produce syncrude

REFINE & TRANSPORT

Refined into sustainable aviation fuel

LEARN MORE

The Fulcrum Process includes four key stages:

DIVERT

Divert municipal solid waste from landfills

SORT

Sort, separate and process

GASIFY

Gasify to produce syncrude

REFINE & TRANSPORT

Refined into sustainable aviation fuel

LEARN MORE

The Fulcrum Process includes four key stages:

DIVERT

Divert municipal solid waste from landfills

SORT

Sort, separate and process

PROCESS

Syncrude Production

REFINE & TRANSPORT

Refined into sustainable aviation fuel

LEARN MORE

Environment

As a company dedicated to creating fuels that will help our planet, address the growing impacts of climate change and reduce waste in our communities, the environmental impact of our plants is of great importance to us. 

LEARN MORE

Local Employment & Participation

The Biorefinery is expected to create 130 full-time operational jobs and 1,000 construction jobs. Fulcrum has made commitments to the City of Gary to prioritize local hiring of Gary residents and Gary-based businesses.

  • The Centerpoint Biorefinery will require a broad range of skills and to ensure that Gary residents are well positioned for these roles, Fulcrum will partner with the City of Gary and local technical colleges to offer appropriate training courses for Gary residents. Fulcrum and the City are developing a plan for that now and will provide further updates in due course.
  • The Centerpoint Biorefinery will also support the demolition and clean up of vacated and abandoned buildings within the City of Gary. Proceeds of Tax Increment Financing bonds (which will be purchased by Fulcrum) will go to the Gary Redevelopment Commission for this important task. Importantly this is a key initiative highlighted in the 2019 Gary Comprehensive Plan to support the long term transition of Gary.
  • Fulcrum is also working with the City officials and other key stakeholders to identify impactful ways for Fulcrum to support the City’s parks and greenspaces. Further details on this plan will be shared in the near future.
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Local Employment & Participation

The Biorefinery is expected to create 130 full-time operational jobs and 1,000 construction jobs. Fulcrum has made commitments to the City of Gary to prioritize local hiring of Gary residents and Gary-based businesses.

  • The Centerpoint Biorefinery will require a broad range of skills and to ensure that Gary residents are well positioned for these roles, Fulcrum will partner with the City of Gary and local technical colleges to offer appropriate training courses for Gary residents. Fulcrum and the City are developing a plan for that now and will provide further updates in due course.
  • The Centerpoint Biorefinery will also support the demolition and clean up of vacated and abandoned buildings within the City of Gary. Proceeds of Tax Increment Financing bonds (which will be purchased by Fulcrum) will go to the Gary Redevelopment Commission for this important task. Importantly this is a key initiative highlighted in the 2019 Gary Comprehensive Plan to support the long term transition of Gary.
  • Fulcrum is also working with the City officials and other key stakeholders to identify impactful ways for Fulcrum to support the City’s parks and greenspaces. Further details on this plan will be shared in the near future.
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Timeline

Since beginning the Centerpoint planning process in 2018, Fulcrum has continued the process of permitting, engineering and other pre-construction related activities. Future project timelines include:

  • Pre-Construction (Permitting & Engineering): 2021 - 2022
  • Construction: 2023 - 2024
  • Operations Commence: 2025

Project Contact

Flyn van Ewijk
Director, Project Development
fvanewijk@fulcrum-bioenergy.com