Operations Return
Oil and gas companies and chemical makers in Southeast Texas have resumed operations with no reports of damage from Tropical Storm Eduoard. The storm made landfall on the upper Texas cost and inched inland east of Houston, hitting the Beaumont-Port Arthur area with heavy winds and rain.
Expansion
ExxonMobil Chemical has completed a major expansion to increase halobutyl manufacturing capacity at its plant in Baytown, Texas. The expansion added equipment and modified existing facilities at the plant to increase the capacity for Bromobutyl rubber by 60%.
Strike
Potash Corp. halted operations at a mine in Saskatchewan, Canada while managers handled what maintenance they could at two others in the wake of a strike by 500 unionized workers. Workers have said wages, pensions, vacation and contracting out are key issues in the dispute.
Expansion
Dow Water Solutions, the water treatment business unit of the Dow Chemical Co., will do another major expansion of its plant in Edina, Minnesota. The company plans to spend $88 million to expand its manufacturing operation in Edina to be able to produce additional reverse osmosis and nano-filtration membranes. New production lines are expected to start operating later this year, increasing the company’s total output by 25%.
New Plant
Rentech Inc. has opened a synthetic diesel and jet fuel plant in Commerce City, Colorado, the only facility of its kind in the U.S. The plant is designed to product 420 gallons a day. The natural gas-based fuel will be sold to the Department of Defense and private companies for further testing that could lead to certifying the fuel for commercial use in the airline industry.
