ExxonMobil starts up new ethane cracker

ExxonMobil has commenced operations at its new 1.5mn t/y ethane cracker at the company’s integrated Baytown chemical and refining complex in the US. The new cracker, part of ExxonMobil’s ‘Growing the Gulf’ initiative, will provide ethylene feedstock to new performance polyethylene lines at the company’s Mont Belvieu plastics plant, which began production in autumn 2017.

The Mont Belvieu plant is one of the largest polyethylene plants in the world, with manufacturing capacity of about 1.3mn t/y.

‘Our new ethane cracker will help us meet the growing global demand for high performance plastic products that deliver key sustainability benefits such as lighter packaging weight, lower energy consumption and reduced emissions, further enhancing our competitiveness worldwide,’ said John Verity, President of ExxonMobil Chemical Company. ‘The abundance of domestically produced oil and natural gas has reduced energy costs and created new sources of feedstock for US Gulf refining and chemical manufacturing while creating jobs and expanding economic activity in the area.’

Together, the Baytown ethane cracker and Mont Belvieu plant represent ExxonMobil’s largest chemical investment in the US to date.

ExxonMobil is strategically investing in new refining and chemical-manufacturing projects in the US Gulf Coast region to expand its manufacturing and export capacity. The company’s ‘Growing the Gulf’ expansion programme exceeds $20bn and consists of major chemical, refining, lubricant and LNG projects at proposed new and existing facilities along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Investments began in 2013 and are expected to continue through at least 2022.