The plant’s ethylene capacity
Joining a surge of petrochemical companies looking to capitalize on abundant supplies of cheap natural gas, Westlake Chemical Corp. announced plans for a $330 million expansion of its complex in Lake Charles, La. producing ethylene, a key building block for plastics.
Most of the ethylene produced at Westlake’s plant is used by the company to produce higher-value chemical products, including polyethylene, a plastic most commonly used in packaging, and styrene, used to make rubber, plastic, insulation, fiberglass, pipes and automobile parts.
The Houston-based petrochemical manufacturer plans to expand the plant’s ethylene capacity to approximately 250 million pounds per year, the company announced.
The expansion should be finished by late 2015 or early 2016 and is expected to add 25 new jobs to the plant’s existing workforce of 480 permanent employees and 115 contractors.
Construction will generate about 1,000 jobs at its peak, the company said. Westlake did not say when construction is expected to begin.