Bio-Lab plans rebuild, expansion in Lake Charles

A chemical fire burns BioLab in Westlake, near Lake Charles, in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A swimming pool chemical plant that was damaged by Hurricane Laura last year near Lake Charles is looking to rebuild and expand its plant and wants tax breaks for the project, reports The Advocate.

Known as plant No. 5, the expansion would be a $50 million capital investment, according to Bio-Lab Inc.’s incentive application. The total investment under consideration would be $142.6 million.

The Bio-Lab chlorine plant would manufacture trichloroisocyanuric acid and disodium isocyanurate used as a sanitizer in swimming pools. Meanwhile, Bio-Lab laid off about 100 employees in the interim as it seeks to rebuild, according to Bloomberg.

The reconstructed petrochemical complex includes shipping, maintenance, laboratory, a machine shop and the swimming pool chemical producing unit itself. Read the entire story.