QYK Brands LLC pitches chemical plant near Raywood; court receives presentation and takes no action
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Summary
QYK Brands LLC presented plans for an MAA manufacturing facility east of Raywood, citing federal seed funding and a target of 7,000 metric tons per year, up to 30,000 at full scale; commissioners questioned water, wastewater and power needs and the court took no action on the informational presentation.
Alexander Griffith, executive administrator for QYK Brands LLC, told the Liberty County Commissioners Court on Sept. 24 that his company seeks to build an industrial-scale facility east of Raywood to produce methylchloric acid (referred to in the presentation as MAA) as part of a federal reshoring initiative.
"The main aim of the project is to reshore certain industrial capabilities and capacities back from mostly from Asia back to The United States," Griffith said during a roughly 30-minute briefing describing site selection, logistics, and schedule. He described a site on roughly 660 county-recorded acres with an initial build area of about 100 acres near Farm Road 2830 and Highway 90 and said the federal contract calls for an initial capacity of 7,000 metric tons per annum with federal seed funding of approximately $48,000,000 and a potential full-investment scale near $300,000,000.
The presentation included engineering and permitting timelines. Griffith said the company submitted an air emissions permit application to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on Sept. 11 and that, per the presentation, the company expects an initial TCEQ response in roughly six weeks. He said a wastewater permit application is in preparation and projected to be ready by November. The firm told the court it is consulting Tetra Tech on wastewater treatment options and expects to treat effluent on-site, subject to TCEQ and county permitting.
Griffith described estimated local employment of about 320 direct jobs at the 7,000 MTPA level, roughly 100 additional direct jobs at full production, plus 80–100 jobs if the company's consumer packaged-goods operation relocates to the site. He said the plant’s interim power needs could reach as much as 100 megawatts and that the company is exploring on-site generation using nearby natural gas pipeline capacity and possible solar.
Commissioners pressed the presenters about raw material sourcing, rail access and the length of any Union Pacific spur, groundwater supply and wastewater discharge plans, and potential roadway impacts. A technical speaker working with the company said the feedstock would be liquid glucose derived from corn and that the plan is to minimize waste, treat it on-site and comply with TCEQ monitoring and reporting requirements. County staff and a commissioner also noted an existing drainage ditch under the control of Raywood Drainage District No. 1, and said the company will need to coordinate with that entity for any discharge into that channel.
After the exchange, Commissioner Bruce moved — and Commissioner Greg seconded — to take no action on the informational presentation; the motion carried. The presenters indicated they will provide refined 3-D renderings, final plot plans and additional documentation to county permitting staff in the coming weeks and plan a public outreach briefing before Christmas.
The court recorded no formal approvals or permits at the meeting; the presentation was accepted as information and the county will continue its permitting review processes with TCEQ and its local permitting office.
