Exxon expands Texas petrochemical plant

Fuel Fix:
ExxonMobil is expanding its Beaumont polyethylene chemical plant, adding a new unit and increasing the facility’s capacity by 65 percent, the company announced on Monday. It estimated the work will create 1,400 construction jobs and 40 permanent positions.

A growing demand for high performance plastics plus an abundant supply of cheap U.S. shale gas, the feedstock for plastics, is motivating the expansion, Exxon said.

The company manufactures polyethylene products for packaging applications that deliver light-weight, damage-resistant films.

Expansion has already started. The new unit will begin operations in 2019. Exxon estimates it will generate $20 billion in economic activity in the first 13 years of operation.

Current polyethylene production capacity is 1 million metric tons per year. The new unit will add another 650,000.
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As I often remind readers, the petrochemical business is one that Big Green has no alternative too.  It is a critical supplier of the plastics needed for all sorts of manufacturing work from cars, planes, and trains, to zip lock bags.   The shale revolution has brought many of the manufacturing jobs in this industry back to the US and Texas is where a lot oof them are located.

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