Shell Catalysts and Technologies plans $122M expansion in Port Allen - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report
Shell Catalysts and Technologies plans $122M expansion in Port Allen
Shell Catalysts and Technologies is spending $121.7 million to expand its chemical plant in West Baton Rouge Parish, according to an announcement from Louisiana Economic Development.
The facility develops specialized chemical catalysts used in refining and fuel production that are activated by lower amounts of heat, electricity or steam, increasing energy efficiency. The project will increase the plant’s production by an additional 15,000 tons per year and create 17 new jobs with an average annual salary of more than $94,000 while retaining the facility’s 84 current employees.
Shell’s Port Allen location, built just over 13 years ago, is the largest refining catalyst plant in the world, according to the company announcement. It has been in Port Allen for more than 13 years. and the expansion will allow the facility to increase manufacturing capacity by an additional 15,000 tons per year.
The expansion project should be completed by December 2024.
To secure the investment, the state offered Shell an incentives package that included LED FastStart. The company also is expected to participate in the state’s Enterprise Zone and Industrial Tax Exemption programs. See the announcement.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: petroleum
While electric-powered vehicles may be the ride of the future, oil remains at least for now the dominant fuel for transportation around the world. And after a period of time at the end of the 20th century when oil was subject to wide fluctuations in price, new supplies in North America as a result of non-conventional recovery techniques have helped stabilize prices.