Building America’s
energy future
one hometown at a time.
Communities tied to the economic engine of America’s sustainably managed forests today have a new economic opportunity with global impact. In central Louisiana, green technology leader SunGas Renewables is taking a pioneering role through its subsidiary project, Beaver Lake Renewable Energy.
Repurposing the former International Paper site in Rapides Parish that closed in 2009, the Beaver Lake Renewable Energy project will breathe fresh life into the community starting with a nearly $2 billion constructed facility. It is expected to create more than 1,150 construction jobs and more than 100 local operation positions. The completed facility is projected to generate nearly 400,000 metric tons of green methanol marine fuel per year for use in the new methanol-fueled fleet of shipping container vessels for the global logistics company, A.P. Moller-Maersk. The new Beaver Lake facility is the first of several facilities planned by SunGas to supply Maersk with green methanol.
Green methanol for marine shipping fuel is fast becoming a fuel of choice for decarbonizing the global shipping industry. Today, the world’s commercial vessels consume around 300 million tons of fuel every year making shipping accountable for around 3% of global carbon emissions, according to the Maersk McKinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), by 2050 green methanol (bio-methanol and e-methanol) are expected to reach approximately 500 million tons per year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Construction of the new facility is planned to begin in Q4 2024, with operations beginning in 2027.
Beaver Lake Renewable Energy LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SunGas Renewables Inc., will operate the facility.
The facility will use wood fiber collected from thinning operations across sustainably managed forests.
The renewable methanol fuel will significantly reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere as compared to traditional marine fuel use.
A wide variety of skilled labor positions will be required to execute this project, including welders, iron workers, carpenters, electricians, millwrights, construction equipment operators, pipefitters and general laborers. We anticipate the creation of about 1,150 jobs at peak construction.
Over 100 full-time jobs are planned for management, engineering, operations, product shipment, wood handling and maintenance for the BLRE plant. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project would result in an additional 390 new indirect jobs.
We will be updating our website and reporting regularly on our progress at Beaver Lake Renewable Energy.