Construction poised to begin on massive Rockwool plant
Rockwool, the Canadian company that plans to build a $175 million insulation manufacturing facility at Wallula Gap has begun grading the site ahead of construction. The company also recently held information sessions for local contractors to learn about the project and what services and skillsets the company will be looking for when construction begins.
Courtesy RockwoolThe North American division of a Danish company that makes stone wool insulation from volcanic rock is awaiting state permits before building a $175 million plant south of Burbank.
Rockwool North America began grading the building site at the Port of Walla Walla’s Wallula Gap Business Park this summer in preparation. A company spokesman recently told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business the company hopes to begin construction in October or November.
Rockwool North America announced in 2024 that it signed an $8.75 million deal with the port for 250 acres at its Wallula Gap Business Park on Highway 12. The company uses a proprietary electric melting process to produce an environmentally-friendly material used in commercial, residential and industrial settings.
The company has said construction is expected to take two years once it begins and generate more than 600 construction jobs.
At full build-out, the facility could be more than 2.7 million square feet, using 185 of the 250 acres, according to documents filed under Washington’s environmental review process.
For comparison, Amazon’s two new warehouses east of Pasco total about 1 million square feet each.
In the spring and summer of 2025, owner representative PCL Construction held informational sessions and one-on-one meetings with contractors interested in helping build the facility.
“Our goal is to utilize as many local contractors from the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla as possible,” said Rockwool North America spokesperson Paul Espinosa at the time.
Once operational, the plant itself will employ 125 people, many of whom the company intends to hire locally.
Rockwool leaders told investors in August that it expected its revenues to be flat this year, with tariffs instituted by President Donald Trump driving turbulence in the market.
However, revenue growth for its North America unit was 6% through the first half of 2025, the highest of all its divisions, even with a slowdown in the second quarter.
“The slowdown notwithstanding, we still see strong market demand for our non-combustible stone wool products and the potential for further expansion in the region,” according to the company’s August report to investors.
