VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — Refining company Ergon says it's closing a Vicksburg ethanol plant.
The Flowood-based private company announced the closure Friday, saying production will stop in December.
Ergon Chief Operating Officer Kris Patrick says in a news release that profit margins kept falling, the plant's equipment has underperformed and the plant faced other economic challenges.
Ergon was originally a partner in the plant, which opened in May 2008. Production, with yearly capacity of 57 million gallons, was suspended in December 2012.
Ergon bought out its partner in 2013 and restarted output in 2015, hiring about 30 people. Ergon says it will try to find new jobs for employees at its Vicksburg oil refinery and towboat company or at its Jackson-area businesses.
The ethanol plant helped spur higher corn planting in the Mississippi Delta.