SWEETWATER COUNTY — The Sweetwater County Commission unanimously approved two zoning map amendments from Agriculture (A) to Mineral Development (MD-1) on land southwest of Green River and near Granger for a soda ash project called Project West.
Project West was first announced by WE Soda Ltd, a Ciner Company, in October 2022. It is a new greenfield soda ash project that plans to be powered utilizing available renewable energy investment opportunities.
Now that the zoning maps have been amended, WE Soda can take further steps to begin construction of the mining project.
“Project West has secured certain surface and mineral rights for private property sections in Sweetwater County, Wyoming,” a letter that was submitted with the zoning map amendment application states. “The purpose of Project West is to mine Trona using a solution mining technique and to process it into soda ash (sodium carbonate) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). The Project includes two primary components: (1) the Solution Mining Area and (2) the Soda Ash Processing Plant.”
The Solution Mining Area will be located southwest of Green River, of which the property is owned by Uinta Development Company. The Soda Ash Processing Plant will be located near Granger, and is on property owned by Sweetwater Surface LLC.
Additionally, the letter states the project will require an underground water pipeline, fluid transport pipelines between the Soda Ash Processing Plant and the Solution Mining Area, access roads, and a rail spur for product shipping. These project components, however, do not require a zoning amendment.
Sweetwater County GIS/Planner Megann Toomer said that adjacent properties already allow for mineral development, so this zoning amendment is nothing new to the area. Therefore, there were no staff concerns.
The property where the Solution Mining Area will be located is unique, Toomer said, as the resolution states the land will revert back to Agriculture zoning once the bond is released from the state.
“One unique thing that the applicant has requested, and staff thinks it’s a great idea, is that once the bond is released from the state for funding for the project, the land will revert back to the agricultural zone so it won’t be staying MD-1 forever. This is good news,” Toomer said. “Project West is planning on completely reclaiming the area so that it can go back and be used for agricultural purposes.”
Craig Rood, Director Of Public Relations and Government Affairs at Project West, said they have been doing the technology involved in this project in Turkey for a while, and he is excited to bring it to Southwest Wyoming and open up the trona reserves south of Green River, which he said haven’t been accessed yet.
Chairman Keaton West said he appreciates how this project is contributing to the economic development of Sweetwater County.
“Us campaigners up here always preach economic development and it takes industry like yourselves to expand on that. I think this is big exciting news for Sweetwater County,” West said.
Project West’s Economic Impact
During the presentation at the Sweetwater County Commission meeting, Toomer went over a fact sheet that explained the economic impact Project West predicts having on the community.
“Project West will contribute and bring a wealth of economic and community benefits to all those within Sweetwater County,” Toomer said.
According to Project West’s fact sheet, “the construction and operation of the Project West facility will provide significant investment in the local community with a capital cost of approximately $2.5 billion and over $84 million in local material purchases. The Project will provide significant employment opportunities for construction and operation along with jobs created in the local services industry.”
It is predicted that during construction, the project will generate $104 million in local sales and use taxes and approximately $327 million in property taxes over the life of the project. Additionally, the mining of trona will result in approximately $15 million annually in mineral severance and production taxes, the fact sheet states.
“It’s an exciting project to bring into Sweetwater County and we’re anxious to have it here, so we appreciate the investment and look forward to all the revenue it’s gonna bring in,” West said.
The public can learn more about Project West as WE Soda is hosting two open houses this week for community members. The first will be in Green River on Wednesday at the Hampton Inn from 4-7 p.m. The second open house will be Thursday in Rock Springs at the Holiday Inn patio room from 4-7 p.m.
