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The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) Board of Directors has allocated $1.6 million to expand the Inland Port at Greer in fiscal year 2017.
The expansion will extend the port’s operation west near Moore Avenue. An additional $600,000 has been allocated for FY 2018 to complete the expansion for a $2.2 million investment.
Currently, the Inland Port operates on about 38 acres. An initial expansion would grow the facility to 70 of the total site’s 100 acres.
The allocation for Greer came out of the $248 million capital plan, the highest in SCPA's history, with expenditures projected $82.4 million higher than FY2016.
“A capacity study is underway now to direct (SCPA) about how to best utilize our current operational footprint to accommodate growing cargo volumes,” said Erin Dhand, spokesperson for the SCPA.
The Greer port will undergo infrastructure improvements.
May rail volume was strong at the Inland Port, where 8,620 rail moves were handled last month. Fiscal year-to-date rail moves are 62.3 percent above planned levels, with 83,834 lifts since July.
Projected rail moves in FY2016, ending June 30, is projected to be 89,177. About 110,000 rail moves are projected for FY2017. That compares to 58,407 in the port’s first FY2015.
The board noted that the port growth in Greer will include BMW semi-knockdown (SKD) growth and complete knockdown (CKD) to come online in the fourth quarter of FY2017. Knockdowns are semi or complete kits to assemble a product – in this case a BMW.
The board also approved $5.1 million for the development of a second inland port in Dillon.