Plus: BENTELER expanding presence

Aplanned $1.2 billion facility at the Port of Caddo-Bossier will produce approximately 550,000 metric tons of blue and bio-methanol annually.

Bia Energy has secured an agreement with Macquarie Group to commercialize and market the methanol and a partnership with CapturePoint to capture and transport CO2 from the site.

The facility is designed to reduce carbon emissions by over 92 percent compared to traditional methanol production by capturing CO2 and utilizing hydrogen as its fuel and feedstock. The front-end engineering design (FEED) study and major permits are complete for the 74-acre facility.

“The prospect of Bia Energy for the Port lies not only in job creation but also in utilizing the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway for transporting the final product via barge,” said Eric England, Port director. “In celebrating Bia Energy’s milestones, we are closer to this exciting project becoming a reality. Dr. John George with BRF and his group are to be commended for their tireless efforts in recruiting this new industry to our area.”

To support the facility’s production marketing, Bia Energy has entered a 20-year commercialization and marketing services agreement with Macquarie Commodities Trading, an affiliate of Macquarie Group’s commodities and global markets business.

Through Macquarie, the project seeks fixedprice offtake agreements with organizations in the chemical, maritime, manufacturing and industrial sectors looking to switch to lowcarbon methanol. Bia Energy is collaborating with CapturePoint, LLC, to capture and transport the CO2 to a class VI well site in central Louisiana.

“The advancement of this shovel-ready project and its positive environmental impact, coupled with the jobs creation and development at the Port and in Caddo and Bossier parishes, underscores our commitment to the region and our ability to deliver low-carbon solutions to our prospective customers across a wide range of industries,” said Dr. Ana Rodriguez, CEO and co-founder of Bia Energy.

The methanol production and processing facility will include state-of-the-art docks, tank farms and piping at the Port Complex. At peak construction, nearly 350 construction jobs are anticipated.

Bia Energy expects the facility to create 75 direct new jobs. Louisiana Economic Development (LED), which provided an incentive package, estimates the project would result in 390 indirect jobs, for a total of 465 new jobs in Louisiana’s Northwest region.

“For over 40 years, Macquarie’s CGM business has worked with clients to understand their needs and provide tailored marketing and commercialization solutions,” said Aarnoud van Weelderen, senior managing director in Macquarie’s CGM business.

Tracy Evans, CEO of Capture-Point, LLC, said the team at CapturePoint is excited to provide leadingedge carbon management solutions for Bia Energy’s planned low-carbon methanol facility in the port. “When this project is fully operational, we expect to transport up to 250,000 metric tons of CO2 annually for safe and permanent storage in CapturePoint’s deep underground CENLA hub carbon storage sites.”

Bia Energy plans a $1.2 billion low-carbon methanol facility at the Port.

In other Port news, BENTELER Steel/Tube Manufacturing Corp., a leading global specialist in metal processing, announced it is expanding its presence by building a new threading facility for hot-rolled seamless steel tubes.

The $21 million investment will allow the company to streamline supply chains for customers in the oil and gas, energy and engineering sectors.

The company expects to create 49 direct new jobs while retaining 347 current positions at its Louisiana operations. LED estimates the project will result in 96 indirect new jobs, for a total of 145 potential new jobs in the Northwest Region.

“Economic development projects like this don’t only benefit the state’s economy through investment and job creation, but also by providing support to key industries in our state,” LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said.

The company plans to partner with leading connection specialists GB Connections and Hunting to provide customers in the oil and gas industry with domestically designed, melted, made and finished seamless products.

“I’m excited that we are extending our vertical integration for Oil Country Tubular Good products in Shreveport with this threading facility,” Kai Christian Zimmermann, executive vice president of North America BENTELER Steel/Tube, said. “It is a reflection of our ongoing commitment to the industry and the region.

We will be able to reach both the Mid-Continent region and Rockies more competitively.”

BENTELER opened its first U.S. steel tube plant in Shreveport in 2015. The main products produced at the Shreveport site are drill pipe, tubing, line pipe, structural pipe, coupling stock and casing.

“The establishment of BENTELER at the Port was a pivotal moment in our region’s industrial development,” said England. “The Port is a crucial hub, generating opportunities through investment and job creation for our local community. We are absolutely thrilled our existing customer chose to expand and invest in Louisiana.”

The first construction phase will include installing the initial threading line focused on threaded and coupled connections, extending the finished goods yard, enhancing rail loading capabilities and improving infrastructure.

The second will expand the facility to allow a second thread line installation. The second line is estimated to be online by the end of 2026.

“This expansion by BENTELER Steel/Tube demonstrates the company’s commitment to its operation at the Port,” Bill Altimus, Port commission president, added.