Excalibar president Tom Eisenman tells GlobeSt.com that the port plant will close as soon as the new facility is finished in late 2003. The Houston-headquartered Excalibar has doubled its acreage with the acquisition.

The port and Excalibar came to a mutual agreement for the relocation from the leased site in light of the Port of Houston's expansion plan for its petroleum coke operation, Eisenman says. The coke operation produces a black low-grade fuel and Excalibar's minerals most often are white.

The Port at Greens Bayou Ltd. was the seller of the 18 acres. James H. Glanville of the Houston office of Colliers International represented the seller. Eisenman negotiated for his firm.

Excalibar's new processing plant will have four mills, two of which will be moved from the port terminal. The project calls for a 27,000-sf steel warehouse and 12,000-sf processing facility. Construction permits could come in a week to 10 days for the project, still in its engineering phase, Eisenman confides.

The expansion and relocation will open doors for Excalibar to produce new products for new markets. Excalibar primarily processes calcium carbonate and barium sulfate. The minerals are used as fillers or extenders in paint, plastic, ceramic and oil service end products.