Three Class Is to serve new chemical, fertilizer plants in Southeast

Katoen Natie USA will build a $150 million plastics storage, custom packaging and distribution facility in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announced on Wednesday.

The 127-acre logistics complex — which will include polymer terminals, warehousing and distribution facilities — is designed to support local petrochemical and specialty chemical producers in the Capital Region, said Jindal in a prepared statement.

The 2 million-square-foot indoor storage complex will include an extensive rail yard designed by CRA Engineering Group. The complex will be served by CN and Kansas City Southern Railway Co., potentially becoming one of the few facilities of its kind with dual railway access, Jindal said.

"[Katoen Natie USA] said key factors in their decision to invest in Louisiana included easy access to railroads, as well as our experienced chemical industry workforce," he said. "Indeed, today Louisiana is a leader in petrochemical and specialty chemical products because of our strong business climate, infrastructure, natural resources and incomparable workforce."

Slated to begin soon and be completed by year's end, the first phase of the project calls for constructing the first 600,000 square feet of storage space, all the rail lines, half of the rail yard, all rail tie-ins and a 6-acre detention pond. Katoen Natie USA expects to complete the entire facility by 2018.

Meanwhile, BioNitrogen Corp. announced it recently began engineering design work for a railroad spur to be built from a CSX Transportation mainline to a fertilizer plant under construction in Hardee County, Fla.

The Hardee County Industrial Development Authority has allocated $2 million in grants to BioNitrogen's Florida subsidiary to help cover expenses related to the rail spur and plant construction/engineering work. C.J. Bridges Railroad Contractor Inc. will construct the rail spur, and Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. will provide civil and other site engineering services.

The spur will link the plant with CSXT's mainline, facilitating the transportation of biomass to the plant and urea to customers, BioNitrogen officials said in a press release.