Woodland Biofuels, Inc. plans to invest $1.35 billion at the Port of South Louisiana to establish one of the world’s largest renewable biofuels production facilities. The Toronto-based company would utilize waste biomass to produce sustainable biofuel used in transportation, heating and electricity generation.
If the project moves forward as outlined, the company expects to create 110 direct new jobs with an average annual salary of more than $90,000. Louisiana Economic Development estimates that the project would result in 259 indirect new jobs for a total of 369 potential new jobs in the Southeast Region.
“Woodland is thrilled to announce that we plan to build, right here at the Port of South Louisiana, the world’s largest carbon-negative RNG facility,” Woodland Biofuels CEO Greg Nuttall said. “Our sustainable biofuel plant will be an economic driver for St. John Parish and beyond. We look forward to establishing deep ties with the local community, and drawing on the existing world-class workforce and utilizing Louisiana’s exceptional infrastructure to execute on our project.”
“With a multigenerational skilled workforce and abundant natural resources, there is no place in the world better positioned to help energy companies grow and thrive,” LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said. “Woodland Biofuels’ project would bring high-paying jobs to the great people of St. John the Baptist Parish for years to come. The state looks forward to working with the company to bring this project to completion.”
The new facility, to be located at the Globalplex multimodal facility at the Port of South Louisiana, would include the largest renewable natural gas production plant in the world, according to the company. It expects to permanently remove hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually and store it safely underground at a carbon sequestration site to be determined at a later date.
A front-end engineering design (FEED) study for the site is anticipated to be finalized by the second quarter of 2025, with a final investment decision expected by the end of next year. Commercial operations for the first phase of the project – the renewable natural gas production plant – are projected to start in 2028.
“Port of South Louisiana is the second ranked port in the nation for energy transfer,” Port of South Louisiana CEO Paul Matthews said. “This significant investment by Woodland Biofuels to construct the world’s largest carbon negative renewable natural gas plant and a large-scale green hydrogen facility at our Globalplex Intermodal Terminal proves that PortSL and the state of Louisiana are leading the way in diversifying our energy industry, which will result in the creation of hundreds of high-paying jobs for River Region families.”
To support the project, LED offered Woodland Biofuels a competitive incentives package that includes a $10 million performance-based grant for infrastructure improvements and the comprehensive workforce development solutions of LED FastStart. The company is also expected to participate in the state’s Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.
“Woodlands Biofuels is proof of the power of Louisiana and GNO’s ‘all of the above’ energy strategy,” Greater New Orleans, Inc President and CEO Michael Hecht said. “$1.3 billion plus 110 new jobs plus renewable natural gas and hydrogen is a winning formula for everyone. Congratulations to the Port of South Louisiana, and GNO, Inc. is glad to have been a partner for this outstanding project.”
