Public Invited to Weigh In on SOBE Thermal Energy Plan

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is inviting the public to weigh in on SOBE Thermal Energy Systems LLC’s plan to install and operate a Thermolyzer unit to process tire chips in the city.

An informational meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 10 at the Eugenia Atkinson Recreation Center, 903 Otis St. Immediately after the meeting, a public hearing will be held where comments are welcome.

Written comments can also be submitted through Aug. 24 by emailing [email protected] or mailing to 2110 East Aurora Road, Twinsburg, OH 44087.

SOBE Thermal, based in Dublin, Ohio, submitted an application for a permit with the Ohio EPA to allow the installation and operation of the unit, which is a non-incineration technology that recycles all hydrocarbon waste materials into synthetic gas.

SOBE Thermal plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the city to convert old natural-gas burning boilers into more efficient ones that can run on synthetic gas made from recycled waste such as tires and plastic.

More information about SOBE Thermal’s draft permit is available HERE.

Pictured at top: David Ferro, CEO of SOBE Thermal Energy Systems, and Joey Ferro, an employee at SOBE, stand in front of the former Youngstown Thermal plant on North Avenue in July 2022. SOBE Thermal purchased the plant out of receivership in December 2021.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.