ExxonMobil recently announced that it will proceed with a $2 billion investment to expand its chemical plant in Baytown, Texas, creating approximately 2,000 jobs. Expected to start up in 2022, the expansion includes a new polymer unit, which will produce approximately 400,000 tons of polymers a year.
"Our Baytown chemical expansion will put us in a solid position to maximize the value of increased Permian Basin production and will deliver higher-demand, higher-value products produced at our Gulf Coast refining and chemical facilities," said Darren W. Woods, ExxonMobil chairman and chief executive officer.
The Baytown expansion is in addition to the company’s 2017 Growing the Gulf initiative, which outlined plans to build and expand manufacturing facilities along the U.S. Gulf Coast, creating more than 45,000 high-paying jobs across the region.
The project will also enable ExxonMobil to enter the linear alphaolefins market. Linear alphaolefins are used in numerous applications, including high-performing engine and industrial oils, waxes and building blocks for surfactants, polyethylene plastic for packaging, and other specialty chemicals. The new unit will produce approximately 350,000 tons of linear alphaolefins a year.
The Baytown facility is the largest integrated petrochemical complex in the United States and one of the most technologically advanced refining and petrochemical complexes in the world. Founded in 1919, the complex is located on approximately 3,400 acres along the Houston Ship Channel, approximately 25 miles east of Houston. The facility includes a refinery, chemical plant, olefins plant, plastics plant and global technology center.
For more information, visit www.exxonmobil.com.