BEAUMONT, US: To meet the growing demand for high-performance plastics, ExxonMobil Chemical Company plans to increase its Beaumont (Texas) polyethylene plant capacity by 65 percent or approx 650,000 tonnes per year, adding a new production unit.
A leader in the manufacture of polyethylene products for packaging applications the company delivers light-weight, tough, damage-resistant films. Construction of the new unit has begun at the plant, where current polyethylene production capacity is one million tonnes per year. The startup is expected in 2019.
The Beaumont project builds on supply advantages created by ExxonMobil’s expansion of its Mont Belvieu Plastics Plant in Texas, where two similar polyethylene units are being added. Combined, this multi-billion-dollar investment will increase the company’s US polyethylene production by 40 percent, or nearly two million tonnes per year, making Texas the largest polyethylene supply point for ExxonMobil.
This expansion project will employ 1,400 construction workers and create 40 permanent jobs upon completion, as well as generate $20 billion in economic activity in the first 13 years of operation based on 2015 Impact Data Source estimates.
“The availability of vast new supplies of U.S. shale gas and associated liquids for feedstock and energy is a significant advantage that enables expansion to meet strong global demand growth in polyethylene,” said Cindy Shulman, vice president of ExxonMobil’s plastics and resins business.
“ExxonMobil is committed to continuing investments in its world-class, integrated facilities,” Shulman said. “We combine our state-of-the-art production expertise with a first-class technology organization, which enables us to offer innovative polyethylene products for applications such as flexible food packaging that increase product shelf life and safety.”
“We’re part of the growth in an area that is primed for new business,” said Jason Duncan, manager of the Beaumont polyethylene plant. “The expansion of the polyethylene plant is now ExxonMobil’s third significant investment in the Beaumont area over the past 18 months, the impact of which will benefit the local economy in the years to come.”
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