ExxonMobil to Increase Beaumont Plant Capacity by 65%, Add More Than 1200 Permanent Jobs

ExxonMobil (Irving, Texas) will add a new production unit at its Beaumont, Texas polyethylene plant that will increase capacity by 65%, or by about 650,000 tonnes a year, to meet growing demand for high-performance plastics. Construction has begun at the plant, where current polyethylene production capacity is one million tonnes a year. Startup is expected in 2019.

The company comments that as the U.S. continues to produce abundant supplies of oil and natural gas, ExxonMobil is investing billions of dollars along the U.S. Gulf Coast to help meet growing global energy demand. These investments will not only expand existing refining and chemical capacity, but also stimulate economic growth and create jobs. ExxonMobil said its investments could create more than 28,000 temporary jobs in construction and more than 1200 permanent jobs over the next few years and beyond.

“The availability of vast new supplies of U.S. shale gas and associated liquids for feedstock and energy is a significant advantage that enables expansion to meet strong global demand growth in polyethylene,” said Cindy Shulman, vice president of ExxonMobil’s plastics and resins business. She added that the Beaumont project builds on supply advantages created by the company’s expansion of its Mont Belvieu plastics plant in Texas, where two similar polyethylene units are being added. Combined, this multibillion-dollar investment will increase the company’s U.S. polyethylene production by 40%, or nearly two million tonnes a year, making Texas the largest polyethylene supply point for ExxonMobil.

The Beaumont expansion project will employ 1400 construction workers and create 40 permanent jobs upon completion, as well as generate $20 billion in economic activity in the first 13 years of operation based on 2015 estimates. “We’re part of the growth in an area that is primed for new business,” said Jason Duncan, manager of the Beaumont polyethylene plant. “The expansion of the polyethylene plant is now ExxonMobil’s third significant investment in the Beaumont area over the past 18 months, the impact of which will benefit the local economy in the years to come.” Previously announced investments in Beaumont include expansion of ExxonMobil’s crude refining capacity in 2015 and construction of a new unit to increase the supply of ultra-low-sulfur gasoline and diesel.