Veolia North America is investing $40 million to expand its regeneration plant in Darrow.
Known as the Burnside facility, the Veolia plant converts spent sulfuric acid into fresh commercial-quality sulfuric acid, and produces sulfur-based products for the refining industry and others. Veolia will retain all 29 employees with an average annual salary of $83,000, plus benefits.
At the Burnside facility, Veolia will install new equipment and upgrade existing equipment, yielding a 15% increase in sulfuric acid regeneration capacity. Refineries use sulfuric acid as a catalyst in alkylation units to produce high-octane gasoline. In the current marketplace, refiners are pushing the U.S. acid regeneration circuit to nearly 100% capacity because of spiking demand for alkylate. The expansion will help Veolia grow its regeneration services to meet that increased demand.
The Burnside sulfur regeneration facility in Darrow recently commemorated 50 years of service, and it is Veolia’s largest hybrid sulfur-burning facility capable of producing both fuming and nonfuming acids.
“Veolia is committed to growing our services which contribute to the circular economy by supporting production at local refineries and other allied industries,” President and CEO Bill DiCroce said in a statement. “The expansion of Burnside helps us directly support industrial businesses in Louisiana and along the U.S. Gulf Coast.”
To secure the project in Ascension Parish, the State of Louisiana offered Veolia a competitive incentive package that includes a $450,000 Modernization Tax Credit, a performance-based incentive provided over a five-year period. After Veolia completes renovations to the facility, the company also is expected to use the state’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program.
The Burnside facility is one of seven plants in Veolia’s regeneration services business in the U.S. that provide sulfur products and services to the refinery market. Veolia’s North American headquarters are located in Boston and its corporate group headquarters are in Paris.
