The 3M Company will soon be replacing and upgrading a natural gas supply line to their manufacturing plant in Brownwood.
According to a briefing sheet from the City of Brownwood, the original 1965 gas line that supplies the entire 3M plant must be replaced. The plant uses high volumes of gas in its operation, and it is imperative that they have a dependable gas supply for product manufacturing.
The new line will cost approximately $900,000 to $1 million, according to the briefing sheet. 3M is upgrading the line from an 8” line to a 10” line to accommodate for future plant production and expansion. In addition, they are creating a back-up line to ensure supply is not interrupted if the main line is damaged.
3M has requested local support from the Brownwood Economic Development Corporation of $200,000, or about 20% of the cost of the utility infrastructure project which was approved by the BEDC board last week. The Brownwood City Council will consider ratifying the BEDC’s vote at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
If ratified, the BEDC will structure an agreement with 3M for four $50,000 payments over four fiscal years. The BEDC has $50,000 budgeted for infrastructure in the current fiscal year.
