Linde, a global industrial gases and engineering company, announced it will invest more than $400 million to build an air separation unit (ASU) at RiverPlex MegaPark in Ascension Parish, Louisiana.
The ASU will enable Linde to supply both nitrogen and oxygen for the production of low-carbon ammonia at the Blue Point Number One complex, a $4 billion world-scale facility currently under development and projected to become the world’s largest low-carbon ammonia plant upon completion.
Louisiana Economic Development (LED) anticipates construction on the ASU to begin in 2026, with operations scheduled for 2029.
Linde expects the project to create 15 direct new jobs at the new facility, while also retaining over 100 current positions across the state. LED estimates the project will also result in an additional 50 indirect jobs, for a total of 65 potential new jobs in the Capital Region.
Linde has supported Louisiana’s industrial growth with facilities in Geismar, St. Charles Parish, Vidalia, Lake Charles and Sulphur. This latest investment in Donaldsonville builds on the 2020 launch of a syngas processing plant in Geismar.
The project also follows Hyundai's announcement of a planned $5.8 billion steel mill at RiverPlex MegaPark.
"With three major announcements in just four months, we’re witnessing a commitment to revitalize a rural area that’s long been overlooked," Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment said.
To win the project in Ascension Parish, LED offered an incentive package that includes the comprehensive workforce development solutions of LED FastStart. The company is also expected to participate in the state’s Industrial Tax Exemption and Quality Jobs programs.
