Early progress on two chemical manufacturing facilities being built in Lake Charles has been steady over the last few months, according to Axiall Corp. officials. The project, known as LACC, is a collaboration between Axiall and South Korea-based Lotte Chemical Corp.
The American Press reports the project will consist of a $1.9 billion ethane cracker, along with Lotte’s $1.1 billion monoethylene glycol manufacturing plant. Both plants are expected to produce 1 million metric tons of ethylene per year.
State officials have estimated the projects will create 215 direct jobs and nearly 1,900 indirect jobs in the region. The average annual salaries at the two facilities will range from $76,000 to $87,000. Between 2016 and 2019, state officials estimate 2,000 construction jobs will be created for the project.
Jim Rock, vice president of operational excellence and liaison director for the ethylene project, says site prep for the project has begun. There are also efforts being made to use a barge slip off Bayou d’Inde to bring in large amounts of construction material.
“We’ve already commenced with a lot of progress. Our site is completely cleared,” he says. “We’re trying to do the best we can and use the water access to keep trucks off the roads.”
The facilities have an anticipated startup date of 2019. Rock says that while it can be hard to plan for all variables when keeping a schedule for large-scale construction projects, the ongoing work is heading in the right direction. Even the unpredictable weather has done little to halt the work.
“We’re pretty much on schedule. Still, days like the last few can be particularly unproductive,” he says. “We’re very excited about the project. It’s a big deal for Lotte and for Axiall.”
