Ridge Partners LLC
780 Cambridge Drive
Burr Ridge, IL
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RPLN was proud to host Administrative Minister to the Presidency Jose Paliza, Ambassador to the US Sonia Guzman, Senator Eddie Nolasco, Governor Daisy Aquino and others at an inauguration of the Jaibon Project held on Friday June 24th, 2022.
Article in El Caribe June 25, 2022
As a part of the President’s Pro-Jobs, Pro-Business agenda and his vision to create a silicon valley in Linea noroeste, RPLN was pleased to present its project for converting Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) into ULSD Diesel Fuel.
The project will process 1370 tons of MSW from 26 communities in the northwest line of the Dominican Republic. The RPLN project is presently the largest MSW project in the country and will reduce the amount of MSW needing to be landfilled in the provinces of Valverde, Montecristi and Santiago Rodriguez provinces by 85%.
Ridge Partners Línea Noroeste SA, which recently signed its definitive concession contract with the Dominican State for the production of diesel fuel from MSW , presented its Jaibon Project and its plans for future expansion to other regions of the country.
This company announced that it will soon start the construction of a recycling plant in the province of Valverde, which will produce around two million gallons of synthetic fuel per month for export and has the capability to address the MSW problem in the Dominican Republic in a very significant way.
SANTO DOMINGO.- The Dominican State, represented by the National Energy Commission (CNE) and the company Ridge Partners Línea Noroeste, SA, signed the definitive concession contract for production of renewable synthetic diesel fuel from muncipal solid waste.
President Luis Abinader through special power of attorney number 72-21, dated October 29, authorized the Executive Director of the CNE, engineer Edward Veras, to sign the definitive concession with the company that will operate in the Valverde province.
Veras highlighted the importance of the plant that will produce synthetic fuel, biochar and high-quality organic fertilizer , while indicating that it is one more example of the confidence generated by the government, due to the support it provides to the national energy sector.
The ceremony was held at the Julio Sauri Club, formerly the club of the Dominican Corporation of State Electric Companies (CDEEE) and was attended by authorities from the Ministry of Energy and Mines, as well as the rest of the institutions that make up the national energy sector.
The chief operations officer of Ridge Partners Línea Noroeste, SA, Scott Hunter Smith, thanked the government for the willingness to enter into the contract and explained that the company will use municipal solid waste from the northwest part of the country as its primary source of material, which will be used to produce 1,950,354 gallons of fuel per month, about 23,440,254 gallons per year.
The contract explains that synthetic fuel has the same chemical characteristics as Petroleum Diesel. In addition, it indicates that the CNE granted the company a provisional concession on March 19, 2019 for the analysis and studies for the Biofuel power generation project.
In addition, on March 13, 2020, the company requested the CNE for the definitive concession, and on April 22, 2021, through resolution number CNE-CD0003-2021, the Executive Power was recommended to grant the enabling title and the subscription of definitive concession contract with the company Ridge Partners Línea Noroeste.
It is established that the definitive concession contract has a validity period of 25 years, effective as of the signing of the agreement between the parties.
The ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the USA, Sonia Guzmán was featured today in an article that appeared in Listin Diario Newspaper. A translation of the article follows:
Candida Acosta, Santo Domingo, RD
The ambassador of the Dominican Republic in Washington, Sonia Guzmán, revealed that the American company Ridge Partners will settle in Jicomé, on the Northwest Line of the country, to produce biodiesel from solid waste and export the fuel to the United Kingdom.
She indicated that the plant is located in Maryland and is only waiting to close a legal permit to start in the country and export biodiesel in two years, because the Hydrocarbons law does not allow sales in the local market.
Exports will be made from Puerto Plata. The plant will be in Jicomé and they will buy solid waste (garbage) in all neighboring communities to process the biodiesel to export it refined.
Guzmán explained that with the purchase of waste, the Maryland private company will leave US $ 0.5 cents to each community to be used for social development programs.
"That is an interesting project, which we gave heat and that is coming", which will be built by a Dominican company, said the diplomat.
Treaty Similarly, the Dominican ambassador in Washington emphasized the little benefit that has been taken from the free trade agreement with the United States and Central America (DR-Cafta) in the country, where for reasons of ignorance the legal advantage is not taken advantage of there is for the manufacture of footwear, but above all from a mechanism that this country has and that Central America does not have.
She explained that the inputs to make footwear can come cut, the leathers, the molds and with seams from the outside, "and we only assemble them and they are considered from the Dominican Republic."
IN POINTS
Exports
She also argued that the country is self-sufficient in the production of agricultural goods and believes that many new investments will come and that each time agricultural production will have more exportable products.
Products
In this context, Guzmán stressed that they are working with six products such as meat, pitajaya, coconut, chinola, among others, to increase exports.
Ridge Partners Linea Noroeste is pleased to announce that it has completed the licensing and permitting process and received the Definitive Concession from the Dominican Government and the National Energy Commission.
“The award of the Definitive Concession is the culmination of a two year process and clears the way for the next phase of our first project in the Dominican Republic. This Concession is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication on the part of our team, our investors and our engineering and technology partners. We look forward to beginning construction on this $300,000,000 investment. ” states Tom Kluber, CEO of Ridge Partners Linea Noroeste.
Milanes Vasquez and Cesar Vallejo both members of the RPLN team were featured on the popular TV show Tirando Duro with Alfredo Madera on Telenovisa 43 in Mao, Valverde.
The segment aired on March 4th and featured an extended discussion of the Jaibon project as well as a Q&A with members of the Television audience.
Both Vasques and Vallejo explained the technology and benefits of the Jaibon project to television viewers in Valverde province where the plant will be located.
The segment lasted nearly 25 minutes and was in presented in Spanish. The appearance of the RPLN team members is part of the ongoing public relations campaign serving to better educate the citizens of the Dominican Republic of the benefits of our system in order to provide the solution for the country’s municipal solid waste issues.
Santo Domingo,
Ridge Partners Linea Noroeste (RPLN) has begun its national ad campaign in order to raise awareness of the Jaibon Project and the company’s unique capabilities to provide a solution to the nation’s municipal solid waste problems.
RPLN has the solution to eliminate 85% of the municipal solid waste that is currently entering open air dumps beginning in Linea Noroeste and then in other parts of the country by processing it into Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel. The RPLN technology is ready to be put in use now, because it does not require consumers to change their habits and sort recyclables from other items.
In the morning, trash is in your kitchen, in the afternoon we have processed it into inert, odorless pellets and by the next morning it is converted into high quality diesel fuel. We think this is a very good thing and we want everyone to know about it!
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Julien Dalbin, advisor to Ridge Partners Linea Noroeste (RPLN) project, was invited on the popular prime time television program “Tonight Mariasela” in order to explain and discuss the Jaibon Project.
Dalbin did an excellent job in describing the benefits of the project and how it works. Host Mariasela Alvarez and co-host Diana Lora were very enthusiastic about the project and its potential positive impacts on the country, the environment and the quality of life for Dominican citizens.
Her excellency Vice President of the Dominican Republic, Raquel Pena, hosted a meeting at the National Palace today between members of Ridge Partners Linea Noroeste SA and the Minister of MIMARENA Orlando Jorge Mera, Minster of Energy and Mines Antonio Almonte, Special Financial Advisor Pablo Portes.
The Jaibon project was the subject of discussion, the government is prioritizing projects that will reduce the environmental impact of landfills and benefit conservation of the environment in the Dominican Republic.
La vicepresidenta @raquelpenavice junto a @orlandojm y @AntonioAlmont2, ministros de @ambienterd y @MEMRD, sostuvieron una reunión con diferentes empresarios para evaluar la propuesta de una planta de tratamiento para los residuos sólidos en la línea noroeste del país. pic.twitter.com/MEdqX8voV8
— Vicepresidencia de la República Dominicana (@vicerdo) September 8, 2020
(Santo, Domingo, Dominican Republic)
Ridge Partners Linea Noroeste (RPLN) is pleased to announce that it received its Environmental License from the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic (Medio Ambiente) on June 10th, 2020.
The process was delayed due to the government shutdown in response to the Covid-19 crisis, however the company is pleased that Medio Ambiente was able to issue the license during the period when the ministries were working with partial staff in the nation’s reopening process.
The license gives the project the right to construct and operate the Jaibon MSW to Diesel plant under law 64-00 which is the General Law of the Environment and Natural Resources. An environmental impact study was completed that analyzed every aspect of the life cycle including construction, operation, and decommissioning of the plant.
“The company has successfully concluded one of the most important steps in bringing the project to fruition” reported RPLN Managing Partner and Ridge Partners CEO Tom Kluber. “Getting through this step during the Covid-19 pandemic was a great achievement by our team and by the Dominican Authorities.”
Santiago, Dominican Republic
CDN Channel 37’s popular television news and opinion show Edicion Nocturna with Miguel Guerrero featured a conversation about the problem the country faces due to recent fires in Haina, Duquesa and Rafey dumps in the recent months.
Among the panel, guest and Architect Mr. Raul De Moya offered Ridge Partners Jaibon project and its technology as a possible solution to the problems of municipal waste in the country. Mr. De Moya suggested that instead of thinking of solid waste as a problem, that we should think of it as a raw material that can be used to make valuable commodities such as energy and diesel fuel for the country.
Mr. Raul de Moya
De Moya stated that the Ridge technology processes garbage daily in a factory and therefore eliminates almost all of the need for dealing with dumps and accumulation of garbage. Mr. De Moya said that the “garbage is in your house in the morning and diesel in your tank tomorrow”.
Ridge Partners is in complete agreement with Mr. De Moya’s assessment of the problem and proud to be working on the country’s solution.
As is the case with everyone in the world, the reality of the Covid 19 crisis has affected the projects that Ridge Partners is currently developing.
Government Ministries in the Dominican Republic have been closed down, borders were closed, employees were repatriated, airlines ceased flying, social distancing has been implemented and curfews have been enacted. Ridge Partners is not unique in facing these changes to try to find the “new normal”.
Being a truly global endeavor Ridge Partners has continued to work with our technologies partners in Germany, UK, US, and the Dominican Republic via electronic means. Our team has been working throughout the pandemic and Important work has continued which is moving the project closer to the beginning of construction.
The Ridge Partners team in the Dominican Republic has been anchoring local affairs and relaying important developments to the rest of the team. US personnel will be returning to the Dominican Republic as soon as the borders are re-opened and flights are available.
Ridge Partners Linea Noroeste S.A. in conjunction with the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic) held the first public meeting in Cruces de Guyacanes.
Read More“ We are very pleased with the results of this testing and this gives us the opportunity to move forward towards the successful completion of the first project of its kind in the Dominican Republic.”
— Tom Kluber, CEO
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