LyondellBasell (Rotterdam, the Netherlands; www.lyondellbasell.com) has selected its La Porte, Tex., manufacturing complex as the site for a new High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Plant. The plant will be the first commercial plant to employ LyondellBasell’s new proprietary Hyperzone PE technology and will have an annual capacity of 1.1 billion pounds (500,000 metric tons). The project is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs at the peak of construction and as many as 75 full time positions. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2017 with start-up planned for 2019.
“This project represents the next generation of technology,” said Bob Patel, LyondellBasell CEO and Chairman of the Management Board. “This location is ideal for this facility because of the feedstock advantage we enjoy, the ability to ship product around the world and, most importantly, the outstanding workforce that the Gulf Coast has to offer.”
Located on the south shore of the Houston Ship Channel, LyondellBasell’s La Porte complex spans 540 acres and produces ethylene, propylene, Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) and Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE). LLDPE, LDPE and HDPE are thermoplastics used to manufacture a wide variety of plastic products used in everyday life such as bottles, bags, containers, toys, food packaging, healthcare articles, automotive applications and industrial packaging. The La Porte complex is also the primary location for LyondellBasell’s Acetyls business with an integrated chain of manufacturing units producing methanol, acetic acid and vinyl acetate monomer (VAM). VAM is used in household latex paint, adhesives, food packaging, wire and cable coatings and automotive safety glass.