ExxonMobil is to fund the construction of a new polypropylene production unit in Baton Rouge that will expand production capacity along the Gulf Coast by up to 450,000 tonnes per year.
Construction will begin in 2019 and startup is anticipated by 2021.
Polypropylene is a versatile material that can help improve the safety and performance of everyday consumer products and help improve vehicle fuel efficiency when used to manufacture lighter-weight auto parts.
The engineering, procurement and construction contract has been awarded to Baton Rouge-based Turner Industries and Jacobs Engineering. The companies will use local workers to design and construct the new facility.
This new project is in addition to ExxonMobil’s previously announced plans to invest $20bn to build and expand manufacturing facilities in the U.S. Gulf region as part of its Growing the Gulf initiative, which is expected to create more than 45,000 high-paying jobs across the region.
Growing the Gulf projects include a new state-of-the-art aviation lubricants blending, packaging and distribution facility in the Baton Rouge area as well as refining and chemical expansions at ExxonMobil’s Beaumont and Baytown facilities. ExxonMobil and SABIC have also created a new joint venture to advance development of the Gulf Coast Growth Ventures project, a 1.8 million metric tonne ethane cracker currently planned for construction in San Patricio County, Texas. And, earlier this month, ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum announced a decision to proceed with the development of the Golden Pass LNG export project in Sabine Pass, Texas.
ExxonMobil’s integrated operations in Baton Rouge include a 502,000 barrel-per-day refinery, as well as chemical, lubricants and polyethylene plants.
For more information visit www.exxonmobil.com
