Empire Green Generation (GreenGen), a subsidiary of Empire Diversified Energy, has secured financing for its new recycling plant in West Virginia, US.

The funding was obtained through the sale of Solid Waste Disposal Facilities Revenue Bonds Series 2025 to an institutional investor, facilitated by the West Virginia Economic Development Authority.

The initial drawdown by GreenGen from the authorised amount was $4m.

The investment will support the development of a facility that utilises commercially proven technology to transform waste plastics into pyrolysis oils.

These oils can serve as substitutes for petroleum-derived commodities, offering petrochemical refiners an option to participate in a circular economy for non-biodegradable plastic waste.

The GreenGen recycling plant is poised to provide an energy-efficient solution for waste management. The facility’s operations are designed to recycle 70 tonnes of plastic daily using an eco-friendly pyrolytic process.

This process not only addresses waste plastic issues but also contributes to the creation of sustainable products.

Moreover, the plant’s energy requirements, known as the parasitic load, will be met internally by generating 1.4MW of electricity from the plant’s own syngas.

Located at the Empire Riverfront Industrial Complex in Follansbee, West Virginia, the GreenGen plant benefits from advantageous access to the Port of West Virginia’s multimodal logistics infrastructure.

Empire Diversified Energy CEO Frank Rosso said: “We are very thankful for our lender’s continual support as we expand our recycling and sustainability efforts at the Port of West Virginia.

“We believe Empire Green Generation will set the standard for waste-to-energy recycling plants in the United States. I want to thank our entire Empire team for their tireless commitment over the past three years bringing this vision to commercial viability.

“We will continue to provide updates to all of our stakeholders as the commissioning process transitions into full operations in the next quarter.”

Empire Green Generation is a behind-the-grid utility company that uses waste-to-energy and recycling systems to offer electricity, waste management, and water treatment services to the aforementioned industrial complex.