Green Fuels Operating investing $110 million to transform historic Louisiana processing facility

The historic Evangeline Processing Facility in Acadia Parish, Louisiana. (Photo: Louisiana Economic Development)

Louisiana Economic Development announced May 23 that Green Fuels Operating PC will invest $110 million to transform the historic Evangeline Processing Facility in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, into a net-zero-emissions technology (NZET) refinery.

The company is expected to create 60 direct new jobs with an average annual salary of $80,000, more than 80 percent higher than the parish-average wage.

In addition to Green Fuels deploying its NZET technology at the shuttered Acadiana facility, which first opened in 1957, GFO plans to develop a 20,000-barrel-per-day refining unit dedicated to producing marine-grade diesel and bunker fuel.

The existing facility located in the unincorporated community of Evangeline is outfitted with 15 storage tanks that have a total capacity exceeding 350,000 barrels and will remain operational while the new GFO refining unit is developed.

“Under Louisiana’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, it is critical that we keep pace with the changing needs of the industry, including reopening and reenergizing legacy operations like Canal Companies with technology-driven strategies,” LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said. “GFO’s innovative NZET technology does just that, and their decision to modernize this historic facility shows that Louisiana is positioned to win, diversifying our thriving energy sector and keeping us a leader in U.S. energy production.”

The company plans to upgrade the facility to support the production of sustainable marine fuels and house a full-scale waste and brine water-treatment system.

It will also source local crude to support regional producers alongside feedstock delivered via pipeline and barge.

“America’s energy independence requires more than just drilling—it demands that we refine our own oil here at home rather than shipping it overseas only to buy back finished fuels at premium prices,” GFO CEO Derek Williamson said. “Our revolutionary NZET refining technology solves the 150-year-old problem of refinery emissions, enabling us to build clean refineries in the communities where oil is produced, creating local jobs and energy security.”

GFO expects to start construction at its first Louisiana location in November and complete the project in May 2026.

Once completed, the company said the upgraded facility will further position it as a leader in low-carbon energy production.

To win the project in Acadia Parish, LED offered a competitive incentive package, including 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.

Green Fuels Operating is an Oklahoma-based company whose facilities produce sustainable fuels including diesel, jet fuel, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), marine-grade bunker fuels, and road and roof asphalt binders, according to LED.