Avoyelles Port Commission extends land offer for proposed oil refinery

A commitment to provide over 600 acres of port property for development of an oil refinery will remain on the table for at least the rest of the year.

Avoyelles Port Commission President Barry Laiche said the Canadaville Group is still seeking investors for the proposed oil refinery before it can proceed with the permit-seeking phase of the process.

"Some of their efforts were delayed due to COVID," Laiche said. "My position is, if we had another project before us seeking use of that property, the commission would have a decision to make. As it is, we have nothing to lose by giving them more time to put something together."

Laiche noted that low oil prices may make the proposed refinery "less attractive to investors" than it would if the price-per-barrel was higher.

There have been some other projects that have expressed a possible interest in locating at the port.

"I am hoping by the end of the year to have more news on that," he added.