LINK Leaders Hopeful About KiOR’s Future

Lowndes County, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus economic development leaders remain hopeful about the future of KiOR.

The plant’s financial and operational struggles was a topic of discussion Wednesday at the Golden Triangle Development Link’s luncheon on the EMCC Mayhew campus.

The Securities and Exchange Commission opened an investigation into KiOR’s reporting of production levels and other matters. The alternative fuels plant says it has “substantial doubts” about its ability to continue to operate.

KiOR’s 18 month-old, $225 million plant is sitting idle in Lowndes County.

“We are monitoring with the state of Mississippi. We are monitoring the situation hourly. It’s important to know that to this day, KiOR has lived up to their commitments to the city, the county, and the Lowndes County Port Authority. But we will remain cautiously optimistic and we are going to be monitoring it very closely over the next few weeks or months,” said Golden Triangle Development LINK C.E.O. Joe Higgins.

KiOR hasn’t announced when the plant might start back up.