Chemical producers along Gulf of Mexico consider reviving facilities

04-Sep-08

Hurricane Gustav which struck Louisiana coast on Monday with the winds nearing 110 mph resulted in minimal impairments for the chemical producers along the US Gulf as compared to the closed downs and repairs caused by the hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The chemical producers have planned to resume production at their facilities along the Louisiana coast. World's leading chemical maker, BASF closed operations at its four out of 14 sites on the Gulf Coast, as per an official of the company. One of the four plants needed reinstitution of electricity while the rest three were ready to resume operations right away. BASF plants in Port Arthur, Beaumont in Texas and Port Allen in Louisiana are being examined for restarting operations. However, operations in Geismar, Louisiana, depended on region's electrical power restoration. Geismar, BASF's largest US site, makes ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol, among other chemicals used in synthetic fibers, plastics and urethanes. Further, Exxon Mobil Corp. plans to resume chemical production in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after it close down the plant on Sept 1, as per the company's website. Another chemical maker, Huntsman Corp. also expects to restart the production at its Port Neches-based plant in Texas which was shut down while its Geismar-based plant is awaiting raw-material supply. In addition, wind damage at Westlake Chemical's Geismar-based facility is being repaired thereby postponing the restart by two to three days while the firm is ready to resume operations at its plant in Lake Charles, Louisiana. DuPont is planning to resume production at its plant in Texas (Sabine and Beaumont), Mississippi (DeLisle and Pascagoula) and Alabama (Mobile) while its Louisiana-based factories in Pontchartrain and Burnside are off until resumption of electricity and repairs due to wind-injuries.