Bayport Polymers starts commercial operations of new ethane cracker

​​The 50-50 joint venture (JV) between TotalEnergies and Borealis,  Bayport Polymers, has started the commercial operations of a new ethane cracker with an annual production capacity of one million tons of ethylene in Port Arthur, Texas, U.S.A.

The nearly USD2 billion project built on the site of and operated by the TotalEnergies Refinery in Port Arthur represents 14 million hours worked with more than 2,500 workers at peak construction.

The ethylene produced by the cracker will be used as feedstock to supply Baystar’s existing polyethylene (PE) units, as well as a new Borstar® technology polyethylene unit currently under construction in Bayport, Texas, U.S.A.

“After significant investments in U.S. LNG and renewable electricity in 2022, the start-up of this new cracker is another milestone strengthening TotalEnergies’ presence in the United States. This investment is in perfect alignment with our strategy to develop petrochemicals at our integrated platforms. At Port Arthur we take advantage of the abundance of ethane in the U.S.,” said Bernard Pinatel, president, Refining & Chemicals, TotalEnergies.

The Baystar joint venture represents the growth ambitions of TotalEnergies and Borealis in the United States. It includes: 

• The Baystar site in Bayport, Texas with a 400,000 ton-per-year polyethylene capacity.
• The one million ton-per-year ethane cracker at the TotalEnergies Port Arthur Refinery, which now has successfully started operations. 
• The under-construction 625,000 metric ton-per-year PE unit in Bayport, using the Borealis proprietary Borstar® technology to deliver a broad range of products to help meet the growing global demand for plastic products.