The 200 odd workers who spent the night inside an explosion-proof center at the Exxon Mobil Corp.'s Baytown refinery complex found that the facility apparently survived the hurricane with little real damage, but it may be days before operations resume. Two factors that will affect the resumption of operations is the return of the evacuated workers to the state and reopening of the Port of Houston. In addition, the company has to make sure the facilities that power its operations are safe to use.
The complex includes the nation's largest oil refinery, the Baytown Olefins Plant (one of the largest ethylene plants in the world), the Baytown chemical plant, a technology and engineering complex, and the Mont Belvieu plastics plant. The refinery can process 564,000 barrels of crude oil a day. Crude oil is separated at the refinery, with part turned into gasoline. The rest is sent to the two chemical plants.
When the facility closed Friday at noon, it was the first time in its 88-year history that its management had decided to stop operating. Before making the decision, Exxon hired a weather service, which gave it frequent updates. By early in the week, the weather service was telling Exxon officials that a Category 5 hurricane was headed straight for nearby Galveston.
26-Sep-05 
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