Bayport Polymers, a 50/50 joint venture (JV) between TotalEnergies and Borealis, has announced the start-up of commercial operations of a new ethane cracker with an annual production capacity of 1 million t of ethylene.
This almost $2 billion project built on the site of and operated by the TotalEnergies Refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, represents 14 million hours worked with more than 2,500 workers at peak construction.
The ethylene produced by the cracker will be used as feedstock to supply Baystar’s existing polyethylene (PE) units, as well as a new Borstar technology polyethylene unit currently under construction in Bayport, Texas, US.
“After significant investments in US LNG and renewable electricity in 2022, the start-up of this new cracker is another milestone strengthening TotalEnergies’ presence in the US.
This investment is in perfect alignment with our strategy to develop petrochemicals at our integrated platforms. At Port Arthur we take advantage of the abundance of ethane in the US,” said Bernard Pinatel, president, refining & chemicals, TotalEnergies.
The Baystar JV is the translation of the growth ambitions of TotalEnergies and Borealis in the US. It includes:
- The Baystar site in Bayport, Texas with a 400,000 tpy PE capacity.
- The 1 million tpy ethane cracker at the TotalEnergies Port Arthur Refinery, which now has successfully started operations.
- The under-construction 625,000 tpy PE unit in Bayport, using the Borealis proprietary Borstar technology to deliver a broad range of products to help meet the growing global demand for plastic products.
For more information visit totalenergies.com
