NORTH RIDGEVILLE — A young alternative fuel company named Biodiesel Consolidated Corp. is trying to decide between North Ridgeville and another northern Ohio location for the site of a $104 million plant, a company official said.

Joe Sandor, chief executive officer at Biodiesel, said the plant — which would produce 60 million gallons of clean-burning biodiesel fuel a year — will need about 45 acres adjacent to railroad tracks. It’ll provide about 70 jobs, he said.

Sandor, who grew up in Elyria, scouted locations in North Ridgeville last year with Mayor David Gillock. Sandor said proximity to railroad tracks is a must because the company ships 90 percent of its products by train.

Sandor said he hopes to decide sometime in the second quarter of this year. He said he’s still waiting for a definitive list of incentives — such as tax abatement and loans — that would be available to the company should he set up shop in North Ridgeville. He said he’s already talked to Team Lorain County and city officials about what incentives would be offered.

Steve Morey, president and chief executive officer of Team Lorain County, declined to comment on the discussions with the company. Gillock also declined to comment. Team Lorain County promotes development throughout the county.

Biodiesel is fuel made from the chemical reaction of mixing animal fat or vegetable oil with methanol and lye, according to the National Biodiesel Board. But, according to Biodiesel Consolidated’s Web site, the company plans to produce it “only from virgin vegetable oils, such as soy bean oil and canola oil.”

The market for biodiesel has been growing — especially in the company’s home state of Iowa. To protect the environment and eliminate America’s dependence on foreign oil, there’s been a concerted effort across the country to increase the production and consumption of biodiesel. In 2006, 225 million gallons of biodiesel fuel were produced, up from 75 million in 2005, according to the National Biodiesel Board.

President George Bush, in his state of the union address last month, called for the county to step up its use of clean diesel vehicles and biodiesel fuel. With the erosion of manufacturing jobs in Lorain County, the burgeoning demand for alternative fuels has fed optimism among county officials.

“Alternative fuels will be the future of manufacturing in Lorain County,” County Commissioner Ted Kalo said.

Kalo cited Lorain County’s reasonable land prices and deep manufacturing work force as strong incentives for Biodiesel Consolidated to setup shop in North Ridgeville.

 “We will do whatever the mayor of North Ridgeville needs done to bring them to the county and we would greet them with open arms,” Kalo said.

Sandor, however, said he’s still exploring the options.

“These things, of course, take time,” Sandor said.

Contact Michael Baker at 329-7128 or mbaker@chroniclet.com

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