INSTITUTE, W.Va. — Kanawha County commissioners Kent Carper and Dave Hardy say a California-based company that plans to build two methanol plants in the Kanawha Valley will create big money and momentum for manufacturing in the area.
“They have an incredible track record,” said Carper, commission president. “I believe this will start a whole new trend.”
US Methanol and Governor Earl Ray Tomblin made the announcement of the first plant Tuesday. It will be built along state Route 25 in Institute near the Dow Chemical plant.
“Number one, it’s the first reuse of that property in years and number two, it’s what we’ve said all along: That property is perfectly suited for industrial use just like this,” Carper said.
West Virginia is a great location to invest in, Hardy said.
“We’re close to a lot of population centers. We’ve got the great Kanawha River, which is a tremendous asset. And of course the rail lines as well,” Hardy said. “The sites are there.”
Hardy said he likes that the company is privately owned because no government money will be involved.
“I absolutely am thrilled to hear that this well-funded private equity that’s going to invest millions of dollars in our valley,” Hardy said.
The company will use plants from other parts of the world that are no longer operating, according to US Methanol CEO Brad Gunn. He said those plants they want to bring in are from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Central Europe. US Methanol will then rebuild the plants and begin production within 14 months.
The workforce is here in West Virginia, Hardy said, because people want to work.
“We have a workforce that’s got experience in the industry — chemical industry and the energy industry — and they will have a very good pool of potential employees to draw from,” he said.
Nearly 300 construction jobs and 60 permanent positions will be created and pay between $55,000 and $75,000, according company officials.
The plant will use natural gas, methane and steam to produce methanol for the production of plastic products, carpets and more.
“The important thing is a private company that has international proven track record has selected Kanawha County to start up the first significant activity of natural gas in a very long time,” Carper said.
Construction on the Institute plant is set to begin in November.