Texas plants shutting down as Harvey nears hurricane strength

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Several companies are shutting down plants in Texas ahead of Tropical Storm Harvey, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said on Thursday could become a major hurricane before hitting the coast.

Source: NOAA

A major hurricane has sustained winds of at least 111 miles/hour (179km/hour).

INVISTA shut down its nylon intermediate plants in Victoria, Texas, which it plans to keep down until 29 August.

Flint Hills has shut down its refinery units in Corpus Christi, while Occidental Chemical (OxyChem) shut down its Ingleside complex.

Additionally, a filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) showed that INEOS shut down its cumene unit in Pasadena, Texas, on 21 August due to a heat exchanger tube leak, but will be unable to commence repairs due to the weather risks.

The port of Corpus Christi said it is closed to inbound traffic while the US Coast Guard reported Port Freeport as open with restrictions. Port Houston made no closures as of Thursday.

Harvey is moving north-northwest near 10 miles/hour (17 km/hour), though NOAA said that its speed is forecast to slow down during the next couple of days. The storm is expected to make landfall near Corpus Christi between Friday night and early Saturday, the government administration said.

The storm is likely to bring high levels of rainfall, flooding and, for the coast line, storm surges, NOAA said.

NOAA added southwestern Louisiana should also monitor the storm.