Gulf Coast Growth Ventures Announces Startup of Texas and Resin Petrochemical Facility
January 20, 2022
ExxonMobil and Sabic today announced the startup of their Gulf Coast Growth Ventures (GCGV) petrochemical and resin facility San Patricio County, Texas, which will produce materials used in packaging, agricultural film, construction materials, clothing, and automotive coolants. The 50-50 joint venture operation between ExxonMobil and Sabic includes a 1.8 million mt/yr ethane steam cracker, two Polyethylene units capable of producing up to 1.3 million mt/yr, and a monoethylene glycol unit with a capacity of 1.1 million mt/yr.
The chemical plant, operated by ExxonMobil, was built ahead of schedule and below budget, reaching mechanical completion by late July 2021. Construction began in the third quarter of 2019, creating an estimated 6,000 high-paying construction jobs, and the manufacturing plant now directly employs more than 600 people.
With the GCGV facility, North America is expected to see just under 4 million mt of new resin capacity come in 2022.
The remainder of that capacity is expected to come from Shell Chemical's $6 billion petrochemical complex in Pennsylvania, which includes three PE units totaling 1.6 million mt/year, Bayport Polymers in Texas, which is expected to start a 625,000 mt/yr LLDPE unit, and Canada's Nova Chemicals, which is expected to bring a 454,000 mt/yr LLDPE unit to St. Clair, Ontario.
By Brian Balboa for The Plastics Exchange.
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