Honeywell breaks ground on new fluorine products plant

GEISMAR, La. (May 10)—Honeywell has broken ground for construction of its Geismar HFC-245fa hydrofluorocarbon manufacturing site. The groundbreaking event was marked with a Cajun-style celebration and featured trips for attendees to historic quarters of nearby New Orleans. The HFC-245fa formulation is Honeywell's non-ozone-depleting blowing agent designed primarily to replace HCFC-141lb in a variety of foam and insulation applications. Production of the plant is expected to involve as many as 1200 contractors, and the new facility will add 40-60 permanent jobs in the Geismar region, Honeywell said. The site is scheduled for a July 1, 2002, startup.