US Nitrogen, LLC has set Friday morning, Feb. 17, for the official groundbreaking for its planned liquid ammonium nitrate manufacturing facility on Pottertown Road in western Greene County, and all interested residents of the county are invited to take part in the ceremony, the company said Friday.

The groundbreaking will mark the official beginning of construction work on the plant. The target date for completion is 2013.

US Nitrogen is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Austin Powder Company, with headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio.

Shawn Rana, general manager of US Nitrogen, said Friday in a news release that residents of Greene County are invited to be part of a car caravan and the groundbreaking ceremony.

According to the news release, plans call for participants to gather in the parking lot of the Greeneville First Baptist Church, on North Main Street, and depart at 10 a.m. with a police escort for the plant site, which is located at 360 W. Seven Springs Lane, off Midway Road.

There will be a heated tent at the site.

Local, state and federal government leaders are being invited to be on hand for the event, and several company officials also will take part.

All citizens who attend will be invited to turn a shovel of dirt and have their picture taken, Rana said.

"We are very excited about this event because it is an opportunity for us to thank the many people of Greene County who have made us feel welcome and backed us as we moved through the various governmental approvals needed to get rolling," Rana said.

"We are ready to get construction moving on what will be a great facility."

Site preparation has already begun, with work being done by Summers-Taylor.

"We are grateful for US Nitrogen's confidence in our community," the news release quoted Tom Ferguson, president and CEO of the Greene County Partnership.

"Their high-paying jobs and large capital investment is huge for our region."

Efforts to clear the way for the plant to be located at the site have been underway for more than a year.

A key requirement before construction could begin was the issuance of permits by state and federal environmental regulatory agencies concerning air quality issues and water quality issues related to the US Nitrogen operation.

The company applied for the permits in the late spring and early summer of 2011, and the applications, and questions related to them, have been under examination since that time.

TDEC issued a stormwater permit in late summer 2011 "after finding that proposed erosion and sediment control measures for the plant will protect natural resources if implemented as designed."

Several months later, in early January of this year, the Air Pollution Control Board, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), approved seven air quality-related permits, each covering a different function of the plant

The issuance of those permits, a news release noted, "came after an exhaustive application and review process and a public hearing in Greeneville two months ago when citizens voiced their opinions about the project."

Both strong support for the project and strong opposition were voiced at the public hearing at West Greene High School in late October.

Two months of final review by TDEC and the Atlanta office of the EPA followed the extensive citizen input about the issue that was voiced at the meeting or submitted in writing later.

The Air Pollution Control Board granted seven one-year permits to the company in compliance with the Tennessee Air Quality Act.

The permits apply to different aspects of the planned liquid ammonium nitrate plant which would become "an air contaminant source" -- in other words, would put something into the existing air -- and would therefore require a permit to operate.

The final two required licenses or permits were granted in mid-January.

One is a general license from the Army Corps of Engineers that covers thousands of facilities of various sizes nationwide.

A second permit issued by the Tennessee Valley Authority is specific to the US Nitrogen site.

The property encompasses more than 400 acres. Plans call for about 50 acres of the total to house the actual plant and outbuildings.

The five-building complex will be located in an area off Pottertown Road near the intersection of U.S. Highway 11E and Interstate 81.

In addition to liquid ammonium nitrate solution, the plant would also manufacture nitric acid and ammonia that are used in the production of the liquid ammonium nitrate.

Company officials have stated that the plant will employ aboout 200 full-time skilled workers during the construction phase.

US Nitrogen's total investment in the Greene County plant will exceed $100 million, officials have said.

When completed, the plant is expected to employ 80 full-time workers, with an annual payroll of about $4 million.

The company has stated that it will spend in excess of $20 million per year on natural gas, water and electricity supplied by local utilities.

US Nitrogen and Austin Powder Company officials have repeatedly emphasized that the liquid ammonium nitrate to be manufactured at the plant here is neither explosive nor flammable, and that it will be trucked to Austin Powder facilities in other states for ultimate use in making other products including blasting agents.

The news release noted that Austin Powder "has been in business since 1833. Its associates enjoy excellent benefits, and the company's employee-friendly policies tend to ensure long-lasting relationships."