EL DORADO, Ark. (KTVE/KARD)–Lapis Energy and LSB Industries announced that they entered into an agreement to capture and permanently sequester more than 450,000 metric tons of CO2 per year at LSB Industries’ El Dorado facility in Arkansas.

LSB is the 5th largest producer of ammonia in the country but is looking to become the top clean energy company. The start-up in El Dorado will be a 50 million dollar capital investment that’s expected to take two years to get up and running, which will allow for job opportunities in the area.

“During construction, there’s going to be a huge surge of people coming to the town. Expenses, hotels, restaurants, taxes and everything else. On an ongoing basis, there’s going to be some people that work at the plant that is going to generate income for the town,” explains Jakob Krummenacher, Director of Clean Energy at LSB Industries.

The first CO2 injection is expected by 2025 and positions LSB as a leader in the production of blue hydrogen and ammonia via CO2 sequestration. Officials say this project will help better the City of El Dorado.

“Local air will improve, the quality of air will improve instead of having CO2 going into the atmosphere. It will be captured and sequestered. The water will also be an improvement as well… It’s going to reduce the water needs for the city,” added Krummenacher.

According to a press release, the El Dorado project is the first of its kind in the state of Arkansas and only the third project from ammonia production in the United States.

For more information about the project, visit the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce’s website at www.goeldorado.com.