Apollo Lake Charles LLC plans to build a green hydrogen plant on top of the old Sulphur mines — and they’re doing it without federal funding. Local gubernatorial candidate Hunter Lundy made the announcement during the Chamber SWLA gubernatorial panel forum on Friday. 

After the speaker’s panel concluded, Lundy said the plant will be powered by solar energy.

“So the solar energy will feed the green hydrogen plant, and in turn, produce methanol,” Lundy said. “Methanol will be supplied to the maritime industry. Javelin, a European company is the investor” 

The global commodities company, among other services, is a supplier of affordable, sustainable and commercially viable low carbon or carbon negative products, according to its website.  

“They are converting all their marine vessels to methanol. They will no longer use diesel-based bunkers to service the vessels. This is a movement around the world,” Lundy said, and the approval for the solar farm — which will be placed on 1,500 feet of the 4,000-acre site — has already been approved by Calcasieu Parish. 

Lundy said he met with Apollo Energy in Concordia Parish on Tuesday. The company will be building green hydrogen plants across the state, starting in Calcasieu Parish. He met with them the day before the forum and said they gave him the go-ahead to announce the news. 

“No government funding,” he repeated. “All private.” 

The project has been in the works for the past 12 years, according to Lundy. It will offer 300 jobs.