By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A Canadian company recently announced it is moving forward with plans to relocate a methanol production plant from Chile to a 225-acre site in Geismar, a project that could bring as many as 1,500 jobs to the region.

Methanex Corp., the world’s largest supplier of methanol, a clean-burning alternative fuel used in gasoline blending and various other products, will spend $550 million on the project. The facility will be the first U.S.-based methanol production plant to be built in more than a decade.

According to a company release, the new plant will create 130 new jobs, with an average salary of $56,250, plus benefits. Company officials said construction should begin in September, with a completion date sometime in late 2014. The project is expected to create about 1,500 construction jobs for Ascension, St. James and surrounding parishes. The company plans to start hiring permanent workers for the methanol facility by late 2012.

“This is a great announcement for our entire state,” Gov. Bobby Jindal said in a statement. “Methanex looked at multiple states for this new production facility before narrowing their decision to Louisiana. Ultimately, Methanex chose Louisiana because of our world-class infrastructure for the chemical and energy industries, and our state’s strong business climate. Methanex’s decision to build in Louisiana is part of the renaissance that our energy and chemical industries are experiencing today.”

Methanex CEO Bruce Aitken said in a release that the expectedly low natural gas prices in the region made Louisiana an attractive location for methanol production.

“It is also a large methanol-consuming region that possesses world-class infrastructure and skilled workers, and is a positive environment in which to do business,” Aitken said.

Methanol can be found in everything from windshield washer fluid to recyclable plastic bottles, plywood floors, paint, silicone sealants and synthetic fibers. The alternative fuel is rising in demand.