Woodland Biofuels, a Toronto-based company that turns plant waste into fuel, said Tuesday that it plans to build a $1.35 billion facility at the Port of South Louisiana’s Globalplex terminal, creating 110 new jobs.
The St. John the Baptist Parish project will require a study of the engineering requirements that would run through the first half of 2025 before a final investment decision is made, the company said. If it proves to be feasible, the facility is expected to be completed sometime in 2028.
Woodland Biofuels CEO Greg Nutall said the facility, which will turn the plant materials into ethanol and natural gas, would be one of the world’s largest “carbon negative” renewable natural gas facilities. But to do so, it would need a related carbon capture and sequestration facility to be built to store carbon dioxide gas created by the process.
Nutall said the existing infrastructure in Louisiana from the oil and gas industry, the skilled workforce as well as river, road and rail transportation links, were all factors in Globalplex winning a competitive process for the site’s location.
The project would get a $10 million state grant for infrastructure improvements as well as qualifying for LEDFastStart and Quality Jobs workforce development subsidies, if it meets certain performance goals. It also is expected to seek an Industrial Tax Exemption Program tax break.
Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois said the project would bring much-needed high paying jobs to St. John the Baptist Parish.
GNO Inc. CEO, Michael Hecht praised Woodland Biofuels’ decision as vindication of Louisiana’s “all of the above” energy strategy, whereby it is trying to recruit renewable fuel projects like this one while also supporting the fossil fuel sector and controversial industries like carbon capture and storage.
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