ExxonMobil starts Polypropylene Production Expansion

Sat, Mar 24, 2018 | By publisher


Oil & Gas

ExxonMobil begins expanding Gulf Coast polypropylene manufacturing capacity to meet growing demand for high-performance lightweight durable plastics

 

EXXONMOBIL has started detailed engineering work on a potential United States, US, Gulf Coast project to expand polypropylene manufacturing capacity by up to 450,000 tons a year to meet growing demand for high-performance, lightweight durable plastics. A final decision on the investment, anticipated to be several hundred million dollars, is expected later this year.

Facility start-up could come as early as 2021. The new facility will be capable of producing advanced polypropylene products which can be used in high performance automotive, appliance, and packaging applications. The potential project will create more than 600 jobs during peak construction and more than 60 permanent jobs when production starts.

John Verity, president, ExxonMobil Chemical Company, said ExxonMobil is well positioned to take advantage of the growing global demand for higher-value products, in both North America and the high-growth Asia Pacific region. He said abundant supplies of domestically produced oil and natural gas have reduced energy costs and created new sources of feedstock for U.S. chemical manufacturing.

“Most of our planned investment in the Gulf Coast region is focused on supplying emerging markets like Asia with high-demand products, which ultimately will spur new economic growth locally,” he said.

These advanced polypropylene materials are key to reducing vehicle weight, which helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces carbon emissions. Modern plastics and polymer composites, which can replace steel in many applications, typically comprise about 50 percent of a new car’s volume but only 10 percent of its weight.

On her part, Cindy Shulman, vice president, plastics and resins, ExxonMobil, said polypropylene delivers performance and sustainability benefits to produce a wide variety of consumer products. “It’s a versatile material providing high impact resistance and high stiffness to lightweight applications. It is safe, can be recycled and requires less energy to produce when compared with other plastics.”

This investment is one of 13 new facilities planned to grow ExxonMobil’s chemical manufacturing capacity in North America and Asia Pacific by about 40 percent. These investments, including two world-class steam crackers in the United States, will enable the company to meet increasing demand in Asia and other growing markets.

ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, is one of the largest refiners and marketers of petroleum products and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world.

– Mar. 24, 2018 @ 4:55 GMT |

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