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Baytown expansion will create 10,000 construction jobs and more than
4,000 related jobs
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Final regulatory approvals received
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Houston-area community colleges receive $1 million for workforce
training
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 19, 2014--
ExxonMobil
Chemical Company announced today that it has started construction of a
multi-billion dollar ethane cracker at its Baytown, Texas, complex and
associated premium product facilities in nearby Mont Belvieu. This
project, and major investments ExxonMobil has made to develop oil and
natural gas resources in the United States, including the merger with
XTO Energy, demonstrates the company’s continuing commitment to American
economic growth and job creation.
ExxonMobil is expanding its Mont Belvieu, Texas polyethylene plant to produce more high performance premium plastics for export to global markets. (Photo: Business Wire)
The steam cracker will have a capacity of up to 1.5 million tons per
year and provide ethylene feedstock for downstream chemical processing,
including processing at two new 650,000 tons per year high performance
polyethylene lines at the company’s Mont Belvieu plastics plant.
“The project is made possible in large part by abundant, affordable
supplies of U.S. natural gas for energy and chemical feedstock,” said
Steve Pryor, president of ExxonMobil Chemical Company. The chemical
industry and other industrial sectors account for nearly 30 percent of
U.S. natural gas demand. “Shale development has provided U.S. chemical
producers a double benefit as an energy source and as a key raw material
to make plastics and other essential products, creating jobs and
economic activity across the value chain.”
The project will employ about 10,000 construction workers, create 4,000
related jobs in nearby Houston communities and add 350 permanent
positions at the Baytown complex. It is expected to increase regional
economic activity by roughly $870 million per year and generate more
than $90 million per year in additional tax revenues for local
communities.
Contracts have been awarded for construction, which will begin
immediately. Contracts have been awarded to Linde Engineering North
America, Inc. and Bechtel Oil, Gas, and Chemicals, Inc. to build olefins
recovery units at the ExxonMobil Baytown Olefins Plant. Mitsui
Engineering & Shipbuilding Co, Ltd. and Huertey Petrochem S.A. will
construct the new olefins furnaces. At the Mont Belvieu Plastics Plant,
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will construct two 650,000 tons-per-year
high-performance polyethylene lines. Jacobs Engineering, Ltd. will
oversee enabling works and interconnections at both locations. Dashiell
Corporation and Wood Group Mustang will provide specialty contracting
services.
The expansion, coupled with ExxonMobil’s global sales and technology
support network, enables ExxonMobil Chemical to economically supply a
rapidly growing demand for high-value polyethylene products. These
premium products deliver sustainability benefits such as lighter
packaging weight, lower energy consumption, and reduced emissions.
ExxonMobil Chemical estimates exports could increase significantly as a
result of the expansion. Production of these high-quality petrochemical
products used in a wide range of consumer and industrial applications is
expected to start in 2017.
“This expansion will provide many great opportunities for workers with
technical skills who are interested in energy and chemical
manufacturing. These are high-paying jobs that lead to fulfilling and
rewarding careers in an industry that’s vital to the American economy,”
Pryor said. The average annual wage in the Texas chemical industry is
about $100,000.
To support the project’s need for skilled workers, ExxonMobil has
committed $1 million to the Community College Petrochemical Initiative,
a training program offered by nine Houston-area community colleges to
provide technical skills to high school graduates, returning military
veterans and others. The program has earned state and federal
recognition for recruiting and training instrument technicians, welders,
pipefitters and other skilled employees for the chemical industry. This
program will involve 50,000 students and educators over the next five
years.
For more information about the project or to learn more about a career
in the industry, visit www.HoustonNaturalGas.com
or www.gulfcoastcc.org.
Prospective students may apply online or enroll at the campus of their
choice for classroom instruction, dual-credit courses, internships,
certificate programs and two-year degrees.
About ExxonMobil
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 the largest refiner and marketer of petroleum products,
and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world. Follow
ExxonMobil on Twitter at www.twitter.com/exxonmobil.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140619005359/en/
Source: Exxon Mobil Corporation
ExxonMobil
Media Relations, 972-444-1107
