Back

Moore County, North Carolina

The Moore County, NC BDO Zone for Woody Biomass is rated ‘A’.

Rating Issue Date: August 26, 2026.

‘A’ ratings denote high prospective viability of Feedstock Supply and Infrastructure and low expectations of default risk in the Zone.

Download Rating

Call 833-311-4BDO

Learn More Website
BDO Zone Rating

A

Moore County, North Carolina BDO Zone Overview

Feedstock quantities are expressed in bone dry tons per year (bdt/yr), while feedstock costs are expressed in USD ($). Maximum transport distance is based on a 75-mi driving distance from the center point (Robbins, NC).

BDO Zone Assets:
  • Large rated biomass quantities across pulpwood, forest residues, and sawmill residues.
  • Sustainable timber resource, with annual growth exceeding removals.
  • Strong pulpwood base supported by loblolly pine plantations, conventional harvesting, and improved thinning operations.
  • Private land ownership supporting stable and efficient procurement channels.
BDO Zone Liabilities:
  • Scale-up capacity needed as the rated quantities require additional crews, trucks, grinders, and chip vans.
  • Limited forest residue recovery due to insufficient grinding capacity.
  • Haul-distance sensitivity requiring a practical 50-mile procurement drive distance.
  • Uncertain sawmill residue availability due to decreasing lumber capacity.

Infrastructure

Iron Horse Industrial Park (Moore County, NC):
  • Location: NC Hwy 211 East, Aberdeen, NC (0.3 miles from NC Hwy 211; 3.3 miles from US-1)
  • Site Size: 73 acres (55 developable); zoned Heavy Industrial
  • Availability: Heavy industrial site with gentle, rolling topography; 55 acres cleared and 15 acres graded. Can accommodate up to 600,000 sq ft of building space, either a single anchor tenant or multiple smaller buildings. Environmental due diligence completed (Phase I and II ESAs with no further assessments recommended, wetland delineation, geotechnical, archaeological/cultural, and endangered species reviews).
  • Infrastructure:
    • Electric: Duke Energy. 23 kV distribution line with 3 MW capacity, upgradable to 5 MW; 3-phase power adjacent at NW corner of the property. (Contact: Tammy Whaley, Duke Energy, tammy.whaley@duke-energy.com)
    • Natural Gas: Piedmont Natural Gas. 8-inch, 150 psig transmission line accessible on site, plus a 2-inch distribution line on Carolina Road. (Contact: Kevin Fisher, kevin.fisher@duke-energy.com)
    • Water: Town of Aberdeen. 12-inch line along the eastern property line with 100K GPD excess capacity. Connection to the municipal system is required. (Contact: Joe Wood, Aberdeen Public Works, jwood@townofaberdeen.net)
    • Wastewater: Town of Aberdeen. 8-inch sewer line on site with 150K GPD capacity; Moore County Water Pollution Control Plant is 5 miles S/E. (Contact: Brian Patnode, Moore County Public Works, cpatnode@moorecountync.gov; Joe Wood, Aberdeen Public Works, jwood@townofaberdeen.net)
    • Fiber: Windstream. Fiber lines about 1,800 ft east of the property; fiber and cable services available. (Contact: Rosalie Brown, Windstream, rosalie.brown@windstream.com)
  • Transportation Access:
    • NC Hwy 211 (0.3 miles); US-1 (3.3 miles); I-73/74 corridor (23 miles); I-95 (34 miles)
    • Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad runs along the entire north property line, with interchanges to CSX (~4 miles); Norfolk Southern in Fayetteville (~43 miles).
    • Moore County Airport (~10 miles); Fayetteville Regional (~45 miles); Raleigh-Durham Int’l (~70 miles)
  • Setting: Heavy industrial site in central North Carolina’s timber-rich Piedmont/Sandhills region, about 30 miles from Fort Bragg. 1 hour south of Raleigh-Durham and 2 hours from both Charlotte & Wilmington.
  • Site Contact: Natalie Hawkins, President, Moore County Economic Development Partnership | 910-252-9455 | nhawkins@moorecountyedp.org.
  • Video – Iron Horse Industrial Park

Iron Horse Industrial Park - Flyer

Iron Horse Industrial Park - Three Building Concept

Iron Horse Industrial Park - Two Building Concept

Iron Horse Industrial Park - One Building Concept

Contact Info

Ryan Magwood

Head of Business Development

BDO Zone Initiative

ryan@bdozone.org

647-962-3286

BDO Zone Local Development Leaders

Natalie Hawkins

President

Moore County Economic Development Partnership

nhawkins@moorecountyedp.org

910-252-9455

Local grants and Incentives

Local Incentives:

Moore County and several municipalities (Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen, Carthage, and Robbins) offer economic development incentives based on the project’s assessed property value.

  • Companies investing under $3 million: reimbursements over 5 years
  • Companies investing $3 million or more: reimbursements over 7 years
State Incentives:

Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG):

  • Performance-based, discretionary cash grants for new and expanding companies
  • Designed to offset location and expansion facility costs
  • Competitive program based on job creation and investment levels

One North Carolina Fund:

  • Discretionary grant program enabling the Governor to respond quickly to competitive job-creation projects
  • Awards based on job creation, investment, and regional economic impact

Building Reuse Program:

  • Grants for renovating vacant buildings and expanding existing company facilities

Opportunity Zone Tax Benefits:

  • Moore County has one designated Opportunity Zone (Census Tract 37125950200), centered in the Robbins area—directly aligned with the BDO Zone location.
Additional State Support: 
  • Infrastructure development
  • Demolition assistance
  • Rural grants & federal CDBG economic development funds
  • Golden LEAF Foundation grants
  • Rail industrial access programs
  • Workforce training and development

Additional Information

  • Moore County Economic Development Partnership → Website
  • Moore County Economic Development Partnership → LinkedIn
  • Moore County Economic Development Partnership → Instagram
  • Moore County Economic Development Partnership → Facebook

Aberdeen Development Incentive Guidelines

Robbins Development Incentive Guidelines

Moore County Development Incentive Guidelines

Press Release

Contact us

Become a supporter

General inquiries

Press and media

Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.