Lawton board approves a third reimbursement for Westwin construction project

Lawton Economic Development Authority has approved a third reimbursement payment to Westwin Elements, as that company moves closer to completing construction on a pilot plant in southwest Lawton to test its planned cobalt-nickel refinery.

The City of Lawton and Comanche County Industrial Development Authority agreed last year to pay $3 million toward the cost of that pilot plant, funding that is coming from a $24 million economic development package local entities already had pledged to Westwin should it build its full-scale refinery in Lawton. Westwin has estimated the pilot plant will cost $14-16 million to build and equip, with local entities agreeing to reimburse $3 million.

Westwin already has filed for two “draw” requests for those locally-pledged funds. The third draw approved last week was for $817,998.77, said Lawton Public Utilities Director Rusty Whisenhunt. Payment is made to reimburse costs upon proof of work, and Whisenhunt said all code inspections have been performed and cleared by the city’s building safety division.

That third payment brings total payments to Westwin to $2,232,330, Whisenhunt said, predicting there will be one more draw request. He said the agreement was to retain 10 percent ($300,000) of that $3 million pledge, so the most Westwin can draw is $2.7 million.

Whisenhunt said while construction work has slowed, Westwin officials still anticipate that start-up will begin in July, with testing to begin in August.

“But, there is a lot to accomplish,” he said, of work that must be completed before the pilot plant can begin operations.

Whisenhunt said Westwin’s work has been slowed by the same factor affecting almost all other building projects, including those for the City of Lawton: delivery of materials. LEDA members with a building background said supply chain issues are worse today than they were during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Westwin CEO KaLeigh Long has said the pilot plant will provide the data for a bankable feasibility study, the document lenders and investors will want before they participate in what is expected to be a $732.5 million full-scale refinery, the first of its kind in the nation. While Westwin officials have said they want to build the refinery in Lawton, they have not yet made that commitment.

The City Council designated LEDA as the city entity that is providing oversight to the Westwin project.

Construction on the pilot plant began earlier this year, with the facility taking shape on a 40-acre tract at Bishop Road and Southwest 112th Street, about a mile south of the Goodyear plant. The pilot plant has been met with strong resistance from a variety of residents who have cited health concerns and question the safety of the refining process. While many residents in the plant’s immediate area have lessened their opposition, area tribal members continue to resist the project and want the City of Lawton to end the project.