Georgia and South Carolina announce plans for Savannah River port

The Governors of Georgia and South Carolina today announced an agreement putting more detail into a plan to develop a new port on the Savannah River.

The 11-page agreement forms a bi-state joint project office to get the port up-and-running. The office will be responsible for the nuts and bolts of finding the port’s exact location, getting the permits to build it, and developing the business plan. Those tasks will cost about $6 million. As to how long it will take, before the first ship docks, Governor Sonny Perdue could only guess:

“Well, I think these are all projections, but from the permitting side, to the construction side, those kinds of things, we’re probably talking about four or five years plus. Again, I think both states are committed to moving very aggressively here.”

Officials said today the land to build the port would cost about $9 million. That land is owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation, but is in South Carolina. Under the agreement, the port will be owned jointly by the two states’ port authorities.

Effingham County gets major economic boost

Governor Sonny Perdue today announced a Portuguese electronics firm will build its first U.S. plant in southeast Georgia. The arrival of 600 jobs and a 100-million dollar investment could be the kick-off for other big future announcements around Effingham County.

The Governor says the company, EFACEC, is Portugal’s leader in electronics and electro mechanics. The new plant will make power substations for the United States.

Perdue says setting up shop near the Georgia coast makes sense for the company’s global plans.

"Effingham Co is a natural choice for this global firm, as it sits just miles from the bustling port of Savannah".

The county’s industrial development authority CEO, John Henry, says this announcement will jump-start the economic engine of the area:

"It creates some momentum which certainly helps getting the Effingham Co name out there, helps to market the community…we see it as not a finality, but as a launch pad. We certainly expect other announcements to come".

Groundbreaking for the plant near Rincon will be this winter.