South African company Sasol says it has met a goal of hiring 500 workers for an $11 billion ethane cracker plant it is building near Lake Charles.

The company said Wednesday it plans to hire at least an additional 200 employees over the next two years to support the complex, located next to its existing chemical plant in Westlake. The jobs average $80,000 per year, and most of the workers who have been hired are from Calcasieu Parish or other parts of Louisiana.

The new facility is 74 percent complete, the company said in a news release.

Construction began in 2014, with an estimated opening date of late 2018 or 2019. Hurricane Harvey forced a shutdown in late August.

Another 1,000 contractors are expected to support the plants once the new units demand it, officials said. Sasol plans to begin commissioning the seven new units next year in several phases.

The company has partnered with Louisiana Community and Technical College System and SOWELA Technical Community College to develop new programs locally for jobs it needs to fill, such as laboratory analysts and inspectors. The company also worked with Louisiana Workforce Commission and its Calcasieu Parish Business and Career Solutions Center to create a specialized online pre-application to meet local industry needs, the news release said.

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