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Monolith Materials Plans Hallam, Nebraska, Manufacturing Plant

10/19/2016
Monolith Materials, a next-generation manufacturer of natural gas-based carbon black, plans to build its first U.S. manufacturing headquarters 19.5 miles south of Lincoln in Hallam, Nebraska. The facility will bring 600 jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars in new capital investment to the Cornhusker State.

"Monolith is thrilled to support the growth and strength of American manufacturing, clean technology and job growth right here in America's heartland," said Bill Brady one of the company’s founders. "We chose this location because of Nebraska's exceptional infrastructure and highly skilled workforce, and look forward to building a great company here."

Headquartered with their R&D facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, Monolith said it is bringing manufacturing back to America with innovative carbon black technology that uses natural gas as feedstock instead of oil, as does the conventional process, reducing emissions significantly.

According to company officials, Carbon black is a safe, common material found in thousands of products Americans use every day - including tires, rubber and plastics, printing inks, and batteries. A co-product of its innovative manufacturing technology is hydrogen, a fuel that produces zero greenhouse gas emissions when burned.

Monolith has partnered with Nebraska's largest electric utility, Nebraska Public Power District, whereby they will replace an existing coal-fired boiler with a hydrogen-fired boiler at their Sheldon Station plant in Hallam, Nebraska. The new boiler will generate 125 mw of electricity – enough to supply power to 150,000 homes. The boiler conversion is also expected to result in a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gasses and other types of emissions.

"Our partnership with Monolith Materials is a unique combination of innovation, environmental sustainability, and economic development for the area and the state," said NPPD CEO Pat Pope. "The ability of public power to respond in making this opportunity happen, utilizing our competitive low rates and our economic development rate, is important for Nebraska. At the same time, NPPD has the opportunity to have 50 percent of our energy resources to be carbon-free in the future. We look forward to our continued working relationship with Monolith Materials."

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