Shintech Louisiana Announces $3.4B Expansion to Increase PVC Production

Shintech Louisiana plans to invest $3.4 billion to expand its manufacturing complex in Plaquemine, Louisiana, adding new capacity for ethylene, chlor-alkali and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) production.

The project includes construction of a second ethylene unit and a fourth chlor-alkali and VCM unit at the company’s existing Iberville Parish facility. The expansion will deploy newer process technologies designed to reduce emissions per pound of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and caustic soda produced while strengthening feedstock supply for Shintech’s PVC production.

Construction will occur in phases, with the first phase expected to be completed in 2030.

According to the announcement, the expansion will create 163 direct jobs, with an average annual salary of about $117,000, while retaining 725 existing positions. Louisiana Economic Development (LED) estimates the project could generate 655 additional indirect jobs in the region.

The company began operations in Louisiana in 2000 and has invested roughly $9 billion across seven major projects in the state over the past 25 years. Its Plaquemine operations are a key part of Shintech’s global PVC supply chain and make the company one of the largest exporters through the Port of New Orleans by container volume, said LED.

The expansion is expected to generate thousands of construction jobs and around 100 additional contractor positions during development. State officials said the project will also rely on workforce development programs and local hiring initiatives to support staffing needs.

Louisiana offered Shintech a package of incentives tied to workforce training, equipment investment and infrastructure improvements to support the project.