Baystar to More Than Double Capacity at Texas Site

Bayport Polymers LLC (Baystar) reported Thursday that it has officially broken ground on its new 625,000 metric ton-per-year polyethylene (PE) unit at its facility in Pasadena, Texas.

According to Baystar, the unit will mark the first-ever deployment of Borstar PE technology in North America and will produce enhanced PE products for demanding applications. The company, a 50/50 joint venture (JV) owned by Total Petrochemicals and Refining USA, Inc. (TPRI) and the Borealis AG-NOVA Chemicals Inc. JV (Novealis Holdings LLC), stated that it expects the PE unit to start-up in 2021.

Baystar is also building a 1 million ton-per-year steam cracker in Port Arthur, Texas, that will process ethane and supply feedstock for its existing and new PE units at Pasadena.

“This new Borstar unit will more than double the site’s capacity and allow Baystar to provide our North American customers with a greater range of high-value-added and resource-efficient products,” Baystar President Diane Chamberlain said in a written statement emailed to Rigzone. “The Port Arthur cracker and the new Borstar unit are tangible evidence of the power of partnership between Total, Borealis and NOVA Chemicals.”

“These two projects are a perfect example of Total’s strategy to expand in petrochemicals where we can leverage cost-advantaged feedstock and capitalize on our integrated platforms such as Port Arthur,” added Christophe Gerondeau, TPRI’s president and CEO.

Borealis CEO Alfred Stern noted that his company’s third-generation Borstar technology will be making its debut in North America.

“Baystar will profit from this superior technology, but also from our success in developing and sustaining ambitious joint ventures on a global scale,” Stern said. “We are also glad to have found partners who share our commitment to safety at all levels of operations.”

“We look forward to having Borstar technology available in North America, which allows us to better serve our customers with innovative products that help make everyday life healthier, easier and safer,” added Todd Karran, NOVA Chemicals’ CEO.

Baystar also noted that the Pasadena project should create approximately 1,750 jobs at the peak of engineering and construction activity.