Pinal Today

A $3 billion natural gas to gasoline manufacturing facility in Casa Grande will add an estimated 2,000 jobs during construction and another 265 high-paying permanent jobs once completed.

Nacero Inc. plans to start construction on the plant in Pinal County in 2021, according to AZ Big Media. Construction will move in phases through 2025. It will sit in the middle of Casa Grande’s industrial technology corridor. Existing rail, highway and interstate natural gas pipelines are nearby.

The Nacero Casa Grande plant will produce 35,000 barrels per day of zero sulfur gasoline. Arizona State University estimates that over 40 years it will add $6.9 billion to the state’s economy and that doesn’t include income taxes.

“By making an environmentally superior gasoline from natural gas, Nacero will enable drivers to keep their cars and help the planet,” Jay McKenna, Nacero’s CEO, said to AZ Business Magazine. “Using existing vehicles, markets, infrastructure and technology enable Nacero to quickly and predictably create large-scale benefits.”

The process that uses natural gas to make gasoline doesn’t produce the byproducts of crude oil refining. The company told AZ Business Magazine that it will bypass the introduction of an estimated 5.2 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually. That’s equal to how much gets emitted by 1 million cars each year.

With zero sulfur content, Nacero’s gasoline will help catalytic converters become more effective in removing the precursors of ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone is harmful to humans and limits Arizona’s economic development.

By using gasoline with zero sulfur content catalytic converters to be more effective in removing the precursors of ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone is harmful to humans and is limiting economic development in Arizona.

“Nacero’s zero-sulfur gasoline will be a win for the environment and the economy,” said Misael Cabrera, Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Anthony Smith, chairman of the Pinal County Board of Supervisors, said this will be a game-changer for Arizona.

“A project of this magnitude will be a game-changer that will impact Arizona and especially Pinal County for decades to come. I’m looking forward to seeing first-hand the success of Nacero, and the high-quality jobs it will bring to our area,” Smith said to AZ Business News.

The system self-generates 80% of the water it requires. The process of making gasoline from natural gas produces two and a half gallons of water for every gallon of gasoline. The Casa Grande wastewater treatment plant will supply the remaining 20%, (1,000 acre-feet). They will leave in the ground the estimated 4,000 acre-feet of water used to grow alfalfa on site. Nacero Case Grande will install an on-site solar photovoltaic power plant to produce 100% of its peak electricity.

“Nacero’s investment is three times larger than any other investment made in Pinal County and because it is net water positive, will be an asset to our aquifer,” Pinal County Supervisor Stephen Miller said to AZ Business News. “The interaction with Nacero has been of the highest quality of professionalism and I’m sure that will be the signature of their operations.”

Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland told AZ Business News that Nacero impressed him with an interest in the community, its commitment to safety and create water use.

Casa Grande Assistant Fire Chief David Kean appreciated Nacero’s proactive approach. 

“I am impressed by Nacero’s focus on safety. Their engineers met with us at the start of the process, not the end, as usually happens,” he said to AZ Business News.

Nacero uses the Haldor Topsoe TIGASTM process. The Denmark-based company created the only natural gas to gasoline process operating at a large scale in the world.