DevelopOhio

The Ohio Energy and Advanced Manufacturing Center (OEAMC) would like to see a Center for Petroleum Research built in Lima, and will use grant money to commission a feasibility study for the project, limaohio.com reports. “The quality of crude oil is changing and it’s happening all over the Midwest,” said Patrick Conrath, an OEAMC board member and director of operations at Husky Lima Refinery, according to the article. Lima’s proximity to refineries makes it an ideal location for the center; Conrath said the refineries are “having similar problems that require laboratory research to solve.” The OEAMC has been awarded a $54,125 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, and the county received a $150,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Economic Adjustment for the project. Matching funds for one of the grants brings the center’s total to $258,250 for the feasibility study. Judy Cowan, president and CEO of OEAMC, said the research center would provide “analysis services closer to home” and would include a research and development component. Cowan said the funding could potentially help companies including Ford, Procter & Gamble and Husky Energy over the long term. For more, read the full article.