BP to close 261 kt Texas PP plant in June, idled plant to close, too

28 March 2002 16:48  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (CNI)--BP said Thursday it will close its 261 000/tonne polypropylene (PP) production facility in Cedar Bayou, Texas in June and redeploy the 68 employees to other BP operations.

The company said it would also permanently close one of four PP units at its Chocolate Bayou, Texas chemical plant. The 205 000 tonne/year unit was idled in November.

The combined closures will reduce BP's North American PP capacity to 625 000 tonne/year at Chocolate Bayou and another 386 000 tonne/year at Deer Park, Texas.

Mike Graff, president of BP's Polymers America business, said the closings continue a realignment of the company's PP portfolio, noting that polypropylene capacity grew to 1.5m tonne/year last year though the acquisition of Solvay Polymers' Deer Park PP assets.

Said Graff: "This decision supports BP's long-term commitment to a balanced portfolio of polypropylene offerings and continued growth of its position in high vale products. The result will be an improved and more efficient asset base that is well positioned to meet the future needs of our customers."

Scott Dean, a BP spokesman in Chicago, Illinois said that because employees affected by the Cedar Bayou closing will be redeployed within BP's south Houston refining and petrochemical complex, "there will be no forced severance."

By: Mike Sheridan
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