Westvaco trona mine and soda ash plant (WE Soda; formerly Genesis Alkali)
Large load · 580 WESTVACO ROAD, Green River, WY
The Westvaco trona mine near Green River, Wyoming is part of the Genesis Alkali business that WE Soda bought in 2025 for $1.425 billion. Westvaco is WE Soda's largest North American mining operation. The mine is a conventional underground trona operation with monohydrate processing, and it accounts for about 75 percent of the acquired business's production capacity.
Overview
WE Soda completed its purchase of Genesis Alkali, the largest U.S.-based producer of natural soda ash, for $1.425 billion. Glass International reported the acquisition on March 3, 2025. Genesis's Wyoming operations were the Westvaco underground mine and the Granger solution-mining facility, which was expanded by about 680,000 metric tons a year under GEL ownership in 2023. The combined company says its total capacity is 9.5 million metric tonnes a year. Local reporting noted that workers at the mine had been laid off under Genesis, citing concerns in the global trona market.
Profile
- Rail service and mine operations
- OmniTRAX announced a long-term agreement to become the exclusive third-party rail switching provider for WE Soda's Westvaco mining facility in Green River. The rail service is projected to handle annual cargo volumes above 3.5 million tons. The mine is described as home to 90 percent of the world's trona ore deposits. Westvaco processes trona through a monohydrate process, which WE Soda's CEO has linked to its goal of delivering low-cost soda ash to customers worldwide.
- Natural gas pipeline project in Sweetwater County
- Williams describes the Green River West Expansion Project as a proposed natural gas infrastructure project in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, designed to support energy reliability and emissions reduction at an existing industrial facility. The project includes construction of a new pipeline and delivery infrastructure to provide natural gas service to industrial customers in the area, and it is offered as firm natural gas transportation service. Williams frames the project as a lower-emission supply option for the industrial customers it would serve in the Green River area.
Facility
- Activity
- Natural soda ash (trona) production
- Industry
- Mining
- Site type
- Facility
- Operating status
- Operating
Related records
Timeline
- Mar 3, 2025
- WE Soda agreed to acquire Genesis Alkali, the largest U.S. natural soda ash producer, for $1.425 billion.
We Soda acquires soda ash producer Genesis Alkali
- Mar 6, 2025
- Local coverage reported the Westvaco and Granger mines would be operated by WE Soda.
WE Soda buys Genesis - Green River Star