village, centre of an industrial complex in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département, Béarn région, southwestern France, northwest of Pau. The industrial complex was built after the discovery at Lacq of petroleum and, in 1951, of one of the greatest natural-gas fields in the world. Treatment of hydrogen sulfide in the gas yields about 700,000 tons of sulfur annually, making Lacq one of the world's largest sulfur producers and exporters. Other by-products include gasoline and propane, butane, and ethylene gas, used in chemical plants southeast of Lacq. A nearby gas-fired power station generates electricity for an aluminum plant. A new town has been constructed at Moureux to house employees of the Lacq complex. Pop. (1999) 658; (2008 prelim.) 695.