Southeastern Ohio Port Authority Partners with the Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad to Acquire Former AEP Muskingum River Site in Waterford, OH for Rail-Centric Development
Rail-served site provides access to abundant electricity, natural gas, and process water for future industrial development.
The Southeastern Ohio Port Authority (SeOPA), in partnership with the Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad (BIP), a company of Cathcart Rail, has purchased the 165-acre site of the former American Electric Power (AEP) Muskingum River Plant in western Washington County, OH. The site, which sold to Commercial Liability Partners (CLP) in August 2015, has been fully demolished, remediated, and prepped for redevelopment. Additionally, the site features a 96-car unit train rail loop with aggregate unloading facility and additional rail spurs, 138kv and 345kv electrical substations, a wastewater treatment facility, and access to a Title V air permit, process water from the Muskingum River, and three 36” Texas Eastern Pipeline natural gas lines. An upgraded county road leads to the site, which is located 5 miles from State Routes 60 and 339 in Waterford, Ohio, and is less than 25 miles from US Rt. 50, Interstate 77, and downtown Marietta, OH.
“The AEP facility was a premier place of employment and the jobs lost when it was decommissioned, were among the best in the region. Our goal is to restore as many of those skilled, high wage jobs as we can. We are working on a plan to guide future development and anticipate announcing our first project very soon,” said Jesse Roush, Executive Director of SeOPA.
“We are excited to partner with the Port Authority on this important project for the area,” said Casey Cathcart, Executive Chairman of Cathcart Rail. “Given its size, we see several parcel carve-outs that could provide ample footprint for manufacturing, plastics, or petrochemicals development, and/or a large transloading operation for agriculture, aggregates, fertilizer, lime, liquids, lumber, sand, or woodchips. Most of the needed infrastructure already exists on site so it is development-ready.”
About the Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad
The Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad is a 50-mile shortline railroad serving Washington County, connecting with the greater CSX network in Parkersburg, West Virginia. BIP currently serves a dozen large companies in the Mid-Ohio Valley, handling nearly 1 million tons of freight annually. BIP is aggressively marketing its services to any regional company that could benefit from access to rail, whether directly or via transloading. BIP is owned by Cathcart Rail, one of the leading freight rail companies in the industry, with nearly 800 employees across 22 states, and headquartered in Ohio.
About the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority
The Southeastern Ohio Port Authority is the lead economic development agency in Washington County, Ohio. Created by the County Commissioners in October 2002, SeOPA is a public-private partnership receiving an annual appropriation from the County, along with contributions from businesses and individuals, which helps fund SeOPA’s economic development efforts. SeOPA focuses primarily on site and infrastructure development to attract and retain businesses and jobs, along with conduit financing, and advocacy on behalf of the County.