LyondellBasell Kicks Off Construction Of Innovative Polyethylene Plant

Petrochemical giant LyondellBasell last week broke ground on a new polyethylene plant at its complex in La Porte, Texas.

The company said the plant will be its first commercial facility to use its Hyperzone polyethylene technology, a proprietary system that officials said would produce cost-effective, lightweight plastics that are also strong, durable and recyclable.

Hyperzone also allows one plant to produce a broad range of polyethylene-based products. Previous technology required multiple plants.

LyondellBasell eventually plans to license the technology.

"The new Hyperzone PE plant will produce a better plastic that advances solutions to modern challenges, like protecting the purity of water supplies through stronger and more versatile pipes and ensuring the freshness of bulk foods by providing tough, crack-resistant containers for storage," LyondellBasell CEO Bob Patel said in a statement.

The facility is expected to begin operating in 2019 and will feature an annual production capacity of 1.1 billion pounds of high density polyethylene. Once complete, the entire La Porte campus will be able to produce more than 2 million pounds of polyethylene each year.

The project is part of billions in LyondellBasell investments along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Construction is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs at its peak; once operational, the new plant will establish 75 permanent positions.