Sustainea’s proposed $400M Lafayette plant to add nearly 200 jobs – Inside INdiana Business

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. on Thursday revealed new details on a planned $400 million renewable chemical plant in Lafayette.

Brazil-based Sustainea this week announced plans to build the facility next to Illinois-based Primient’s production facility in the city, and the IEDC says the project will create 191 high-wage jobs in the coming years.

The plant will be used to produce Bio-MEG, a renewable alternative to monoethylene glycol that can be used in various products such as beverage bottles, food containers and footwear.

As part of their partnership, Primient has committed to providing corn dextrose produced at its Lafayette facility, which Sustainea will be used to make the Bio-MEG.

The IEDC said it has committed up to $6.9 million in incentive-based tax credits and up to $100,000 in training grants for Sustainea, which the company will not be eligible to claim until investments are made. Additional incentives are being offered by the city of Lafayette and Tippecanoe County.

News of the project comes six months after Gov. Eric Holcomb visited with representatives from Sustainea during a trade trip to Brazil in April.

“Today’s news not only marks a significant win for the growth of this future-focused sector in Indiana and globally, but it represents growing ties between Indiana and Brazil and creates new opportunities for our two regions to work together for the benefit of our economies and our people,” Holcomb said in a news release.

Sustainea and Primient said they aim to begin construction after a final investment decision is made, with the hopes of production beginning in 2028.

“The news that Sustainea is getting prepared to break ground in Lafayette as their first U.S. operation is exciting news for our Indiana row crop farmers,” said Don Lamb, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. “Indiana corn farmers produce over 1 billion bushels of corn each year. Sustainea’s renewable and sustainable products will open a new market for Indiana producers, and we are grateful they chose our state to expand into the U.S.”

Sustainea is a joint venture between Brazil-based Braskem and Sojitz Corp. in Japan. The company aims to build three industrial plants that can produce 700,000 tons of Bio-MEG annually.

In addition to its Lafayette production facility, Primient operates two grain elevators in the Benton County town of Flower, as well as Francesville in Pulaski County.

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