St. James Parish has been selected as the site of anew $9.4 billion chemical manufacturing complex.
According to Gov. John Bel Edwards’ office, Formosa Petrochemical Corp. has purchased a 2,400-acre site along the west bank of the Mississippi River. The complex will be built in two phases and produce ethylene, propylene, ethylene glycol and associated polymers.
The project will create 1,200 new jobs, averaging $84,500 a year plus benefits, according to the governor’s office. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project also would result in 8,000 new indirect jobs.
“For more than 50 years, the Sunshine Bridge has connected the River Parishes in a strategic fashion that has enabled tremendous industrial growth and thousands of new jobs along both sides of the Mississippi River in Louisiana,” Gov. Edwards said. “The new Sunshine Project continues that bridge into a brighter economic future for Louisiana, one with an estimated 8,000 construction jobs at peak, even more permanent jobs upon completion, and a multibillion-dollar impact on earnings and business purchases for decades to come.”
