In October 2015, the Bright Green Group announced its first plans to realize a state of the art multi acre greenhouse facility in New Mexico for the production of medicinal plants. The project has since expanded in scope to include not only renovating the existing facility in the City of Grants but also building a new much larger greenhouse facility and research center that will operate in partnership with the Grants facility.
That new location was found a year later at the premises of the Acoma Pueblo Native American Tribe. The Bright Green Group realized a business agreement with the tribe to lease 150 acres of land where Bright Green will construct a 118 acre greenhouse facility and research center on the Acoma Indian Reservation in New Mexico.
According to John Stockwell, CEO of the Bright Green Group, the Acoma site makes for a great location for the greenhouse project that creates great mutual benefits. "The Acoma are a federally recognized Indian tribe with a sovereign status that allows them to set and enforce their own laws, so we are no longer restricted to state laws and can operate the project under federal laws. Bright Green has not and will not violated any U.S. Federal laws and will operate within the current laws and policies of the US Federal Government agencies."
For the Acoma, the project will bring together three important utilities: natural gas, clean water and electricity. "Importantly, the agreement between Bright Green and the Pueblo of Acoma establishes the foundation of the business relationship, including the revenue sharing agreement and other benefits that allow the tribe to take advantage of the new 12 megawatt power generation utility, natural gas supply, additional water wells, and other benefits to the Acoma. The operation is strategically focused on water conversation, and water conservation initiatives include using the tribe’s Class B water, after purification, as an additional irrigation source," Clarity Patton, COO of the Bright Green Group added.
Stockwell, a Canadian entrepreneur who previously invested in other greenhouse projects, confirmed that the Bright Green Group plans to start with the development on the 15th of March. The Acoma are currently examining the site to make sure that there are no cultural artifacts left on the site before construction takes off.
“The Bright Green Group is honored to collaborate with the Acoma Pueblo, whose tribal members are recognized as the oldest farmers in North America, and we look forward to researching and developing the many uses of plants that have medicinal value, including the development of FDA approved prescription medicines", said Stockwell.
Dalsem
Dutch greenhouse builder Dalsem will be responsible for the manufacturing of the 118 acres with state of the art, completely automated greenhouses. The project consists of four 25 acre production greenhouses and a 19 acre nursery greenhouse. Additional warehouses, office spaces and a special research facility to involve participating universities in the project will also be realized.
The production and nursery greenhouses, which will be located close to the Acoma's casino next to the I-40, will be sophisticated modern white powdered Venlo structures with diffused glass, completely with double screen and blackout installations, a high pressure fog system from Vifra as well as many internal transport solutions and automation.
Bright Green Group's Acoma facility plans to propagate and grow medicinal marijuana, with federal approval, and other pharmaceutical plants for oil extraction as well as nutritional and dietary food supplements.
"We have the ability to propagate 150,000 plants from selected germ plasm every day. Not only marijuana, but also other pharmaceutical plants, all for oil extraction", explained Stockwell. "Everything is going to be grown organically, as it has to be pure for the extraction purpose. That is why the entire facility will be constructed with sophisticated technology to leave nothing to chance and produce the highest quality possible under highly hygienic conditions. This is also why everything that we can automate will be automated. The plants will be grown using automated container systems. From propagation all the way to harvest; it is all computer driven, so most of the jobs in the facilities will be high-tech in nature, not traditional greenhouse jobs."
The facilities will be powered by a new cogeneration facility. The CHPs will use natural gas to produce heat for the greenhouses and the surplus of electricity and heat can be used by the native tribe too. Furthermore, the greenhouse will use the latest water conserving technologies to supply additional clean fresh water to the Acoma.
Bright Green is investing more than $160 million in the 5.8 million sq. ft. operation. During construction, the project will create more than 1,200 direct and indirect jobs in an area with particularly high unemployment. Nearly 3,000 total jobs will result from the project. Once construction is completed, operating the facility will create high tech jobs for the region and new opportunities for universities to collaborate with the MJ Brown Research Center that Bright Green is building onsite.
Development is being funded entirely by private investment, brought together by the Bright Green Regional Center LLC, through a United States job creation program called EB-5. Congress created the EB-5 Program in 1990 to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors. The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program issues visas to participants who invest in commercial enterprises associated with regional centers approved by USCIS, based on proposals for promoting economic growth. Currently the group has enough capital investment available for the first 25 months of construction. Any parties interested to join them can find more information about investment opportunities on www.BrightGreenGroup.com.
Stockwell and his group hope to complete the first phase of the project in September - October this year.