San Antonio, Texas-based
Valero Energy Corp. informed state and local officials this week that it plans to lay off 61 of the 68 employees at its
ethanol plant in Jefferson County, located just north of the city of Jefferson.
The layoffs are expected to occur between Oct. 15 and Dec. 6. The employees are not unionized.
The Jefferson County facility has been idled, which the company says “is expected to be indefinite, unless and until market conditions significantly improve.”
The plant is located on a 344-acre site at W5289 Valero Way. It opened in early 2008 and was acquired by Valero from Renew Energy in 2010. When it was operational, the plant processed 41 million bushels of corn and produced up to 110 million gallons of ethanol and 352,000 tons of dried distillers grains (which are sold as livestock feed) per year. The corn processed at the plant comes from farmers located within 40 miles, according to the company.
Valero produces fuel, petrochemical products and power. It ranked #53 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list, with annual revenues of more than $60 billion. The Jefferson County facility is one of 14 ethanol plants that the company has, which are all located in the Midwest.
A spokesperson for the company could not immediately be reached for comment.
