Two Sites at Port Bienville Are Now Project Ready Certified

December 15, 2017

Hancock County, MS - Two sites at Port Bienville Industrial Park have been certified as Project Ready by Mississippi Power’s Economic Development department.

The utility’s Project Ready program identifies sites with industrial-quality capacity for water, sewer, natural gas and electrical infrastructure to meet industrial customer demands.

Port Bienville’s Site 6 is a 50-acre site with road frontage and rail access. Site 11 is a 45-acre site with rail and barge access.

“Mississippi Power had previously only certified nine sites in its 23-county service territory and we will now add the two sites at the Port and join the site at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in rounding out the certified sites in Hancock County,” said Bill Cork, CEO of the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission.

The HCPHC staff will market the sites as Project Ready to prospective tenants. The two sites will be added to Mississippi Power’s and the State of Mississippi’s websites as preferred site locations.

The certification process took approximately six months. "All that work now accrues to the benefit of prospects and the broader Hancock County community, where we hope now to expedite prospect due diligence and become more responsive to requests for proposals,” Cork said. “Speed, money and risk are the three things that dictate site location decisions and we positively impacted all three by going through this process.”

“Mississippi Power has realized that time is essence for businesses looking to expand or relocate their operations in today’s economy,” Cork said. “Before a company makes that substantial investment, they want the assurance that the sites they are looking at are development ready, vetted by an experienced third-party source such as a consultant, and are risk free.  Mississippi Power’s Project Ready Certified Sites Program was established to address the issues companies face and to remain competitive with nearby communities and states.”

“As the electric distribution provider for Port Bienville Industrial Park, Coast Electric is excited about the potential new industries this certification may bring,” said  Guy Johnson, Vice President of Western Division Operations and Economic Development. “Our company provided support to HCPHC throughout the certification process. We stand ready to help market the area and continue to provide the most affordable and reliable power to our industrial customers.” 

The Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission was established in 1963 to lead the county’s economic development activities. Stennis International Airport and Port Bienville Industrial Park are home to 30 companies with more than 1,000 employees. For more information visit www.portairspace.com.