Braskem, a Brazilian petrochemical producer said on September 10th that the company’s 450,000 metric tons per year polypropylene plant in LaPorte, Texas, along the Houston Ship Channel completed its initial commercial production.
“The launch of commercial production at our new world-class polypropylene production line in La Porte clearly affirms Braskem’s position as the North American polypropylene market leader,” Braskem America CEO Mark Nikolich said in a statement.
With a $750 million investment, the new PP plant’s construction began in 2017 with the final phase of mechanical construction completed in June 2020. The launch of commercial production follows the successful completion of the commissioning process as well as the achievement of Braskem’s high product quality assurance protocols.
The unit is able to produce homopolymer, impact copolymer, and random copolymers.
In June of 2020 Braskem America announced the development of its new Global Export Hub Facility in Charleston, South Carolina to better serve clients internationally from the U.S. market. The new Global Export Hub facility will provide packaging, warehousing and export shipping services to support Braskem’s U.S. polypropylene production facilities.
The Global Export Hub is expected to export shipments of up to 204,000 metric tons per year of polypropylene and specialty polymers.
Braskem operates five other US PP plants in Texas, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, with a cumulative capacity of 1.57 million metric tons per year that the company acquired. The new plant in La Porte, Texas, is Braskem America’s first PP new build.