By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG – A Massachusetts-based company is hoping to bring more than 100 jobs to Ogdensburg.

Confluent Energies, Inc. plans to establish 40 acres of greenhouses on former St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center land currently owned by the state.

The company was recently awarded a $1,220,000 from Empire State Development to establish to grow leafy green vegetables using a hydroponic system. The produce will be sold to the market reachable by truck within 24 hours of the facilities, according to the governor’s office.

Dennis R. Bunnel, the principal on the project, said the company will need tens of millions of dollars more to make the plan a reality, but remains confident that construction could begin within a year, if all goes well.

Bunnel said the plan would be to start out small and scale up. He envisions a 10-acre hydroponics farm in the first year with the goal of expanding to 40 acres in five years.

Bunnel said he has ties to the North Country and wants to help bring jobs to the area. A once served as plant manager of the now defunct Newton Falls paper mill. He said Ogdensburg is an ideal candidate for the hydroponic farm due to the abundance of nearby water.

He said a hydroponics farm is very water dependent and leafy green vegetables in particular require substantial water.

While it may seem counter intuitive to grow lettuce year-round in the hard winters of the North Country, Bunnel said that’s not the case. He said one of the largest providers of such vegetables is located in Montreal. Surprisingly Bunnel also said green houses need to be vented even in the winter at times to ensure they do not get to warm.

Bunnel said the goal is to provide the products grown in Ogdensburg to local grocery stores and restaurants. He said he is excited about the prospect of bringing 100 jobs to the North Country.

One of the attractions in Ogdensburg is potentially low cost power. Bunnel said the company is interested in purchasing power from the Ag Energy, which runs the co-generation plant in Ogdensburg.

However, that company’s future remains uncertain as the state has not renewed a contract for the company to provide heat to the prison and psychiatric center, or expressed interest in renewing the lease for the land the company operates on.

Other factors that could complicate Confluent Energies plans include the location. While Ogdensburg has the ability to purchase the parcel from the state, it currently lacks the funding to purchase the property.