New lines make business more attractive to industry
DECEMBER 20, 2013 — MIDWAY — Liberty County’s Tradeport East Business Center will benefit from a $46 million expansion of Atlanta Gas Light Company’s STRIDE (Strategic Infrastructure Development and Enhancement) Customer Growth program.
Funding for the program, which will expand the natural gas system into communities statewide that are unserved or underserved, was unanimously approved Dec. 12 by the Public Service Commission.
A 9.8-mile high-pressure gas line to serve Tradeport East Business Center will be the first of several Customer Growth expansion projects over the next several years.
Liberty County Development Authority CEO Ronald E. Tolley said the Public Service Commission award will help to fill a need for long-term development of the park.
“We are pleased to hear that our project has been approved and is the first slated for construction, and we appreciate the support from the Public Service Commission and Atlanta Gas Light for industrial growth within Liberty County,” Tolley said. “We feel this utility expansion will make us more competitive in attracting industrial jobs and investments.”
The gas line will join another significant investment in utilities for Tradeport East. The Georgia Transmission Corporation this year constructed a single-pole 115 kilovolt transmission line between Bryan and Liberty counties that placed Tradeport East on a radial feed to increase service reliability for industrial tenants.
Tradeport East Business Center last month welcomed its fourth tenant, Pactra International Co. Ltd., which will distribute Hankook tires throughout 10 Southeastern states.
The park also is home to a Target Regional Distribution Center, a Tire Rack distribution center and Firth Rixson Forgings LLC, a United Kingdom-based provider of forged metal products to the aerospace industry.
About Tradeport East Business Center:
Tradeport East Business Center is strategically located less than one mile from I-95 and is only 30 minutes from the Port of Savannah. It is a Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) certified park. The Liberty County Development Authority actively markets the 5,300-acre Tradeport Business Center.