Chevron seeks Texas Enterprise designation
February 19, 2019
Chevron Phillips Chemical is considering new capital investments over the next five years at the Baytown complex of around $550 million.
The new investments consist of facility upgrades and new machinery. It includes $270 million for upgrades to the plant’s polyethylene debottleneck machinery. It also includes equipment designed to increase the plant’s capacity with a $280 million C3 Splitter.
Baytown council recently nominated the chemical plant to the Governor’s Office of Economic Development so it can be designated as a quality business and an Enterprise Project under the Texas Enterprise Zone Program. The program is a state sales and use tax refund program that encourages private investment as well as job creation for economically distressed portions of Texas.
Mitch Krutilek, Chevron Phillips Chemical’s Baytown facility plant manager, was ecstatic over council approving the designation.
“We appreciate the City of Baytown nominating us for Texas Enterprise Project Designation through 2024,” Krutilek said. “If approved, the designation will help us make a lasting contribution to the local and state economy. We recently completed a world-class cracker in Baytown and envision multiple growth opportunities for this facility in the years to come. This designation will provide support for our capital investments, help us maintain local workforce levels and enable us to deliver value to the community and our customers.”
Director of Planning and Development Services Tiffany Foster explained the designation would help position Chevron Phillips as “a leader in the manufacturing and distribution of olefins and polyolefins” as a result of the $550 million capital investment in Baytown.
Officials at the plant are also requesting job retention benefits under the program. The plant has approximately 500 employees employed at the Baytown complex and hopes to retain them.
In a letter to Foster and Cole Nieman, an economic finance specialist in Gov. Greg Abbott’s office, Christopher Jannes, the plant’s chief tax officer, spoke about some of the benefits of the investments.
“(Chevron Phillips Chemical) wants to continue growing by investing in the community, as a leading community business partner and to build a bigger and better place of employment for employees and future employees,” Jannes stated. “Our projects will impact not only the City of Baytown’s economy, but will also have a positive impact on the state’s economy in the future.”
Mayor Brandon Capetillo thanked Chevron Phillips for considering making the improvements in the Baytown community.
“We wish you the best,” Capetillo said. “We always advocate this type of development in our community.”