Arq, an environmental technology company, plans to establish industrial operations in St. Rose, Louisiana. The $40 million investment is expected to create 12 new direct jobs in St. Charles Parish.

The facility will produce the company’s proprietary Arq Fuel product and will entail a thermal drying facility; blending and product-handling equipment; transportation infrastructure; and storage tanks.

“Arq’s St. Rose facility is an important investment and milestone in our company’s ambitions to make a transformative impact in the energy industry,” Arq CEO Julian McIntyre said. “The Arq Fuel we produce at St. Rose and blend into liquid fuels is responsibly sourced transition fuel, which is providing a lower-cost bridge to a cleaner future. As Arq worked on locating its initial U.S. Gulf Coast facility, the State of Louisiana, St. Charles Parish Economic Development and Greater New Orleans Inc. team have been extremely helpful, and we are looking forward to working and growing together in Louisiana.”

The site, owned by International-Matex Tank Terminals, or IMTT, 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. The facility will receive intermediate product from its site in Corbin, Kentucky, for final drying, blending and shipment to customers.

“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,” Governor John Bel 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.”

LED began discussing a potential project with Arq in January 2019. 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 the company with an opportunity to participate in the state’s Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.

“The combination of an attractive site and a well-trained workforce allowed St. Charles Parish to emerge as the preferred location in the country for this project,” said President and CEO Michael Hecht of GNO Inc. “Arq’s innovative technology will showcase how greater New Orleans can be a leader in both value-added manufacturing and clean energy, and we look forward to supporting their success.”

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 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.