Louisiana’s Governor, John Bel Edwards and Arq’s CEO Julian McIntyre announced recently that the company will develop an industrial facility in St. Rose, Louisiana, to produce Arq’s proprietary Arq Fuel™ product. The site will receive an intermediate wet-cake material produced from discarded mined materials, and will transform it into a cleaner and valuable blending component for oil products entering the power-generation and marine industries. (Pictured reprinted from Mr Edwards' Facebook)

Based in London with U.S. headquarters in Kentucky, Arq is an energy technology company that recycles mining waste into its proprietary fuel. The fuel’s lower greenhouse-gas (GHG) profile will help industries meet evolving regulatory demands. Arq’s process creates a nearly pure hydrocarbon product and does not require the extraction of any new natural resources from the earth.

Arq will invest up to $40 million at the St. Rose site owned by International-Matex Tank Terminals, or IMTT. The project will entail a thermal drying facility; blending and product-handling equipment; transportation infrastructure; and storage tanks. Arq will create 12 new direct jobs with an average annual salary of $52,000, plus benefits. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project also will result in 31 new indirect jobs, for a total of 43 new jobs in Louisiana’s Southeast Region.

Arq will locate its facility on a 5-acre tract owned by IMTT in St. Charles Parish. The facility will receive intermediate product from its site in Corbin, Kentucky, for final drying, blending and shipment to customers. Primary use of the product will be for residual fuel oil in the utility market and bunker fuel for commercial ships and barges.

Arq evaluated multiple sites across the U.S. Gulf Coast before selecting the site in St. Rose. To secure the project, the State of Louisiana will be providing Arq with an opportunity to participate in the state’s Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.

“Arq’s investment is confirmation that Louisiana’s highly skilled workforce and transportation infrastructure continue to make the state a prime destination for new investments,” Gov. Edwards said. “The innovative processes Arq will deploy in Louisiana show that we can build on our state’s legacy as an energy leader by developing new energy solutions for the future.”

(IRuniverse)