A multi-billion dollar oil refinery project is set to break ground at the Port of Brownsville in April and is expected to bring hundreds of construction and refinery jobs to the area.

The America First Refining project will be built on 240 acres of land at the Port of Brownsville, and will be the first new oil refinery in the country in nearly 50 years.

America First Refining is spearheading the project, which President Donald Trump first announced on social media. The president also thanked India's Reliance for helping back the project.

Port of Brownsville Director William Dietrich said the refinery will be built on 240 acres of port land located about two miles west of the shrimp basin in Brownsville and 17 miles away from SpaceX.

"I just think this is a great day for the Rio Grande Valley. There's no doubt we are in the spotlight," Dietrich said.

The project will create up to 1,500 construction jobs during the building process. Around 500 people will have permanent jobs at the refinery once it's completed.

The refinery will produce about 50 billion gallons of refined petroleum a year. America First Refining will bring U.S. shale oil from the West Texas Permian Basin to the factory in Brownsville.

"This is economic development; this is bringing money and opportunity to the Valley that we have never had," Dietrich said.

The port director said the refinery will be powered by hydrogen and will use technology to reduce emissions.

"This will be the cleanest refinery on the planet," Dietrich said. "It will be powered by hydrogen, and there are numerous other technological factors that we can't discuss right now."

Bekah Hinojosa with the South Texas Environmental Justice Network said she's worried about health concerns that could come from the refinery's emissions.

"That's where shrimp boats are docked; it would be absolutely devastating for the community," Hinojosa said. "We don't want to see Brownsville become a cancer cluster because we already have so many polluting industries."

"We want to keep Brownsville healthy and safe, and this oil refinery threatens all of that," Hinojosa said.

Channel 5 News reached out to America First Refining to get clarification on the technology being used to help reduce emissions. There is no set timeline on how long it will take for the oil refinery to be completed.

In case of a fire or explosion, the port would rely on help from local fire departments. Brownsville Fire Department's Station Number 8 is currently located right outside the port's entrance and sits across from the administrative building.

The fire chief says there are five to 10 staffers at the station daily.

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