6 February 2018
DETAILS
ExxonMobil announced today that
a new 1.5 million ton-per-year ethane cracker
at its Baytown, Texas complex
is mechanically complete with commissioning progressing well.
Project startup is expected during the second quarter of 2018.
The new ethane cracker,
part of ExxonMobil’s multi-billion dollar
Baytown chemical expansion project,
will provide ethylene feedstock
to the new performance polyethylene lines in Mont Belvieu,
which began production in the fall of 2017.
The project has created more than
* 10,000 construction jobs and
* 4,000 related jobs in nearby Houston communities
since construction began in 2014.
Once operational, it is expected to support
* 350 new permanent positions at the Baytown complex,
* $870 million a year in regional economic activity and
* $90 million per year in local tax revenues.
The Baytown chemical expansion project
is a key component of ExxonMobil’s previously announced
In addition to the ethane cracker in Baytown,
ExxonMobil and SABIC are proposing to build
a jointly owned petrochemical complex
in San Patricio County, Texas,
that would include a 1.8 million ton-per-year ethane cracker
– the largest capacity of any ethane cracker built to date.
Massive new supplies of oil and natural gas have
dramatically reduced energy costs
and created new sources of feedstock
for U.S. refining and chemical manufacturing.
Most of ExxonMobil’s planned new chemical capacity investment
in the Gulf region is focused on
supplying export markets such as Asia
with high-demand products,
which will contribute to strengthening
the United States’ balance of trade.
Recent changes in the U.S. corporate tax rate
also create an environment
for increased future capital investments
in projects such as these, and
will further enhance the company’s competitiveness
in global markets.
To support the industry’s need for skilled workers
as part of this growth, ExxonMobil has contributed
$2 million over the last five years
to the Community College Petrochemical Initiative,
a training program offered by
nine Houston-area community colleges
to provide technical skills to high school graduates,
returning military veterans and others.
John Verity,
president of ExxonMobil Chemical Company
“With the completion of the project in Baytown,
we are on the verge of fully realizing
one of ExxonMobil’s most significant
U.S. Gulf Coast investments,”
“Our new ethane cracker will allow us
to economically meet rapidly growing demand
for high-performance polyethylene products
around the world while continuing
to sustain economic development
and create jobs for decades to come.”
“The U.S. chemical industry is rapidly expanding
along the Gulf Coast due to abundant supplies
of domestically produced natural gas,
as demonstrated by the investments ExxonMobil alone
is making,”
“This expansion will not only
* increase the nation’s existing manufacturing
and export capacity,but also
* further stimulate economic growth
* and create thousands of full-time jobs.”
Contact:
ExxonMobil
Media Line, 832-625-40
WWW.CHEMWINFO.COM BY KHUN PHICHAI
