Delaware Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock has confirmed that the state is in talks with DuPont spin-off Chemours about the possibility of the Port of Wilmington expanding to the now-closed Edgemoor site.
The titanium dioxide plant was closed last year after the company was spun off from DuPont. Demolition is getting under way at the site.
“We are in negotiations to buy the Edgemoor property because it is one of several sites that have attracted investor interest for possible port expansion,” Bullock stated.
The current port, for the most part, is on the Christina River at its confluence with the Delaware River and needs direct access to the Delaware River in efforts to attract more ships, including increasingly large container vessels.
The port is managed by the Diamond State Port Corp., a state-led entity. The port has been able to fend off competing bids for its fresh fruit business from Paulsboro, NJ.
An effort to privatize the site failed after opposition from Longshoremen and unhappiness with the idea among some legislators and local officials surfaced in the state.
The state has continued to make investments in the port, but does not have the financial resources for an expansion that could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Longshoremen, with the support of County Executive Tom Gordon have pushed for a port in the Riveredge area near New Castle. The site is under study with advocates claiming that private investors could bankroll the project.
Supporters have claimed a new port could bring thousands of jobs. Others are not so sure, citing competition from ports up and down the East Coast that may not involve sailing up Delaware Bay.
At one point, Gordon said the county might buy the former Fisker/GM plant as a way to attract manufacturers who could use a rail line to ship their goods to Riveredge.
