Lithuania Company Converts Louisiana Biofuels Refinery to Ammonia Manufacturing

Expansion Management

Lithuania Firm Converts Louisiana Biofuels Refinery to Ammonia Facility

July 23, 2015

The plant will produce 500,000 tons of ammonia per year for use in agricultural applications.

A $265 million investment by Lithuania-based Investimus Foris to convert an idle biofuels refinery in Grant Parish, La. into an ammonia manufacturing facility, was announced on July 23.

The former Vanguard Synfuels refinery located in Pollock is the site for the new facility. Prior to Vangaurd the plant had in fact operated as an ammonia production facility.

Investimus Foris is also is negotiating with European and Asian companies to purchase and move ammonia plant components that will be coupled with existing plant infrastructure in Pollock to create the new ammonia facility.

The plant will produce 500,000 tons of ammonia per year for use in agricultural applications. Most of it will be shipped by pipeline to destinations in the northern U.S. The company also is exploring foreign export markets.

Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 584 new indirect jobs for Grant Parish and the Central Louisiana region, for a total of more than 650 new jobs in the state.

The project will also generate 560 construction jobs. Construction is expected to start in the second quarter of 2016 and is scheduled to be completed within 26 months, in the third quarter of 2018.

The European company’s project is the latest in a series of recent foreign direct investment projects for Louisiana. The state increasingly has cultivated FDI projects in its economic development efforts since 2008, and Louisiana now ranks No. 1 in the U.S. for per capita FDI attracted to the state.

“In Louisiana, we have found the right location for our company to grow and thrive,” Chairman Arunas Laurinaitis said.

To secure the project, the state offered an incentive package that includes the services of LED FastStart, the top-ranked state workforce development program in the nation. The company also is expected to utilize Louisiana’s Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.

About the Author

Adrienne Selko | Senior Editor

Focus: Workforce, Talent

Follow Me on Twitter: @ASelkoIW

Bio: Adrienne Selko has written about many topics over the 17 years she has been with the publication and currently focuses on workforce development strategies. Previously Adrienne was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck? which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics and EHS Today.

Editorial mission statement: Manufacturing is the enviable position of creating products, processes and policies that solve the world’s problems. When the industry stepped up to manufacture what was necessary to combat the pandemic, it revealed its true nature. My goal is to showcase the sector’s ability to address a broad range of workforce issues including technology, training, diversity & inclusion, with a goal of enticing future generations to join this amazing sector.

Why I find manufacturing interesting: On my first day working for a company that made medical equipment such as MRIs, I toured the plant floor. On every wall was a photo of a person, mostly children. I asked my supervisor why this was the case and he said that the work we do at this company has saved these people’s lives. “We never forget how important our work is and everyone’s contribution to that.” From that moment on I was hooked on manufacturing.

I have talked with many people in this field who have transformed their own career development to assist others. For example, companies are hiring those with disabilities, those previously incarcerated and other talent pools that have been underutilized. I have talked with leaders who have brought out the best in their workforce, as well as employees doing their best work while doing good for the world.