15 minute read
Energy Hub
Photo: Jim Richard
Energy and industry
The area is home to base operations for some of the world’s most well-known petrochemical companies, including Marathon Petroleum, Valero, Eastman Chemical-Texas City Inc., The Dow Chemical Company and Ashland. These facilities generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually for the local economy in payroll, property and sales taxes, and charitable contributions, as well as thousands of manhours for local volunteer programs.
In addition to their significance to the local economy, these facilities work day and night to produce chemicals that serve as building blocks to everyday products. From gasoline to diesel fuel, home heating oil to jet fuel, the chemicals refined in these facilities are used in the creation of plastics, clothing, medicine, computers and more.
Founded in 1893, the Port of Texas City is the fourth largest port in Texas and 15th largest in the United States. The privately owned port sees more than 50 million net tons of cargo every year. The Texas City Terminal Railway Company serves as a land link to the port, handling more than 25,000 carloads a year.
Aggreko
Aggreko is the global leader in rental power (diesel and natural gas) generation, cooling (HVACs, chillers, cooling towers and heat exchangers) and 100 percent oil-free compressed air solutions. Over the past 30 years, Aggreko has developed a strong track record of performing work in refineries, chemical plants and with industrial contractors along the Texas Gulf.
Aggreko helps customers by managing losses due to the absence or loss of critical utilities; managing certain types of operational risk due to unreliable or unavailable utilities; helping customers capture windows of opportunity where sufficient utilities are unavailable; and addressing process-related issues, including seasonal, supplemental and emergency cooling; environmental issues; performance improvement of rotating equipment; and de-bottlenecking processes.
While providing rental equipment for turnarounds, routine maintenance and emergency response, Aggreko also has an in-house process engineering group to assist with quality, environmental, safety and operational issues, formal documentation, scoping studies, process design packages, after action reports and MOC documents.
Aggreko is headquartered in Houston and provides 24/7 availability and service from more than 60 locations nationwide.
Ashland
The multivitamin you took this morning, the prescription your doctor gave you last week, the spray mousse or gel you styled your hair with today, the printed circuit board driving your home or work computer or the glass of wine or beer you might consume — what do these things all have in common? These everyday products likely were produced using a performanceenhancing ingredient manufactured at Ashland’s Texas City plant.
Ashland’s commitment to quality is only surpassed by its drive to operate a facility that is in full compliance with all environmental and safety regulations.
The Texas City plant began production in 1968 as GAF, then ISP Corporation assumed the plant in 1989. ISP was purchased in August 2011 by Ashland and celebrated 50 years of operations in 2018.
BWC Terminals
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, BWC Terminals is a premier provider of bulk liquid storage and logistics services to refiners, manufacturers and distributors of bulk liquids in North America. The company consists of 18 sites with about 13 million barrels of storage capacity. The BWC Terminals facilities are equipped to store a wide range of petroleum, chemical, renewables and agricultural products. Additional information about BWC Terminals is available at www.bwcterminals.com.
The Dow Chemical Company
Texas City Operations was established in 1941 by the Union Carbide Corporation and provided critical materials to America’s World War II defense efforts. In February 2001, UCC became a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company as a result of a historic transaction between the companies. Today, Texas City Operations produces more than 20 chemical products that are used in a variety of applications, including personal care products, fragrances, coatings, adhesives, pharmaceuticals and more.
Texas City Operations is committed to being a good corporate partner and citizen to the community. The site has a long history of supporting area agencies and organizations, and it is working to improve quality of life for local residents.
In addition, Texas City Operations employees, retirees and their families are proud to contribute a significant amount of their personal time to support a variety of community projects and initiatives. The site is committed to safety, health and environmental protection.
Eastman
Eastman is a global-specialty chemical company that produces a broad range of advanced materials, additives, functional products, specialty chemicals and fibers that are found in products people use
every day. With a portfolio of specialty businesses, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. Its market-driven approaches take advantage of worldclass technology platforms and leading positions in attractive end-markets, such as transportation, building and construction and consumables.
Eastman focuses on creating consistent, superior value for all stakeholders. As a globally diverse company, Eastman serves customers in more than 100 countries and had 2018 revenues of about $10 billion. The company is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, and employs about 14,000 people around the world. The Texas City facility produces Acetic Acid and Eastman 168 non-phthalate plasticizers.
Gulf Coast Ammonia and Air Products
Gulf Coast Ammonia, an agricultural and commodity chemical manufacturing company, and Air Products, a world-leading industrial gases company, will develop a world-class industrial facility which will include the production of anhydrous ammonia, hydrogen and nitrogen in the Texas City industrial complex using industry-leading technology, materials and enhanced safety features. Gulf Coast Ammonia is developing the anhydrous ammonia facility to meet domestic and global demands. The anhydrous ammonia will be transported from the Oiltanking marine facility in the Texas City industrial complex by barge and refrigerated marine gas carriers to be used in the production of nitrogen-based fertilizers to improve crop production and yields to feed the world’s growing population.
Air Products will build, own and operate hydrogen and nitrogen gas feedstock and utility facilities to serve the ammonia production facility. It also will operate the ammonia plant for Gulf Coast Ammonia. Separately, Air Products will extend its established Gulf Coast hydrogen pipeline system — the world’s largest — to provide hydrogen to the facilities and other Texas City-area industries.
The integrated project is a $1.1 billion combined investment, generating an estimated 1,000 construction jobs at the peak of the two-year construction period in 2022 and an estimated 40 new permanent operations jobs for the greater Galveston County area. Startup is expected in 2023
INEOS Styrolution Texas City
The INEOS Styrolution Texas City site sits inside the fence line of the BP Chemicals facility in the expansive Texas City industrial complex. Texas City produces roughly 1 billion pounds of styrene monomer annually that is used as a raw material for a number of styrenics products in such industries as automotive, electronics, household goods and construction products.
The company recently complete its 50th year in operation. After its construction and startup in 1968, the site underwent numerous expansions and upgrades, with the most recent being a significant technology upgrade in 2013. This positions Texas City to be a strong player in the global styrene monomer industry. With about 70 employees on site, INEOS Styrolution Texas City delivers strong performance in production, quality and safety, health and environmental compliance.
Marathon Petroleum Corporation
Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC) is the nation’s largest refiner with a crude oil refining capacity of more than 3 million barrels per calendar day in its 16-refinery system. MPC’s retail presence spans nationwide through about 7,800 branded locations and Speedway LLC, an MPC subsidiary, that owns and operates about 4,000 convenience stores.
Through subsidiaries, MPC also owns the general partner of MPLX LP and ANDX LP, midstream master limited partnerships, that own or operate more than 15,000 miles of crude oil and light products pipelines. MPC has interests in gathering and processing facilities with 9.7 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas processing capacity. Its fully integrated system provides operational flexibility to move crude oil, NGLs, feedstocks and petroleum-related products efficiently through the company’s distribution network and midstream service businesses from coast to coast and abroad.
The Galveston Bay Refinery (GBR) — the nation’s second largest refinery — continues to serve Texas City, Galveston County, the state of Texas and the nation as a provider of a variety of transportation fuels, chemical feedstocks and other refined products.
GBR has a crude capacity of 585,000 barrels per day and is one of the more complex refineries in the United States. Aptly named for its proximity to Galveston Bay, the refinery has global access through the Port of Texas City and national access through numerous pipelines. The site sits on more than 1,300 acres that includes such major process units as crude distillation, hydrocracking, hydrotreating, alkylation, aromatics extraction and sulfur recovery, among others. The site produces a variety of products, including gasoline, distillates, aromatics, heavy fuel oil, refinery- and chemical-grade propylene, fuel-grade coke, dry gas and sulfur.
On a daily average basis, GBR’s 1,800 employees and additional contractor employees on-site make the refinery the largest private sector employer in Galveston County.
The refinery began operation in 1934 as a Pan American Oil refinery and was later purchased by AMOCO. In 1998, refinery ownership changed as AMOCO merged with BP. Since purchasing the facility in 2013, MPC has made significant upgrades, improving the refinery’s process safety and environmental performance. The first gallon of gasoline was produced at the site in the 1930s. During World War II, the U.S. government provided funds that resulted in the construction of three new units to provide fuel for allied forces. The site continued to grow after the war and, by the 1960s, had a capacity of 240,000 barrels of crude per day. During the next decade, a wastewater facility was built as part of a modernization project. Further expansions and investments continued from the 1980s to 2000s aimed at improving capability, reducing emissions and producing cleaner fuels.
In 2018, Galveston Bay refinery merged with MPC’s former Texas City refinery into a single world-class refining complex.
GBR’s demonstrated commitment in community awareness, emergency response, pollution prevention and security earned the site the Texas Chemical Council Excellence in Caring for Texas Award from 2009 to 2014 and the Behavior-Based Safety Program certification from the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies in 2014. The Houston Business Roundtable Safety Excellence Award for Outstanding Performance in Promoting and Improving Contractor Safety has been awarded to GBR since 2010. The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers recognized the site with the Safety Meritorious Award in 2013 and the Elite Silver Award in 2015. The Elite Silver Award is a very special honor, recognizing the top five percent in the industry that have attained top industry safety performance for the application year and demonstrated excellent program innovations and leadership over time.
MPC and its employees strive to be good corporate neighbors and participate in numerous community service projects that benefit organizations, like Senior Share of Galveston County, Ronald McDonald House Galveston, Bay Area Communities in School and Bay Area Habitat for Humanity, among others. Many GBR employees volunteer as coaches for youth sports leagues, Girl and Boy Scout troop leaders and serve on numerous nonprofit boards. Employees also support the United Way Galveston County Mainland through an annual employee campaign, golf and fishing tournaments and other fundraisers.
Oiltanking
Oiltanking has been active in tank storage logistics since 1972 and is one of the leading independent operators of tank terminals for oils, chemicals and gases worldwide. Oiltanking owns and operates 76 terminals in 25 countries, which includes more than 1,000 miles of pipeline.
Oiltanking has two terminals in Texas. The Texas City terminal was purchased in July 2004 and, more recently, the Galveston County terminal was purchased in April 2017. Oiltanking’s leadership philosophy is to do as much business locally as possible and to build local relationships with strong customer orientation and provide tailor-made infrastructure. Its focus is on safe, efficient and reliable services in constructing and operating its facilities.
Oxbow Energy Solutions
Oxbow Energy Solutions operates a dry bulk marine terminal in Texas City that handles petroleum coke from several major refineries. The marine terminal has handled products such as petroleum coke and fertilizer. Oxbow’s experience in bulk materials handling on land, water and within production facilities has earned it a well-deserved reputation for safety, efficiency and environmental stewardship. In addition, Oxbow is a world leader in the making and logistics of petroleum coke. Since 1984, Oxbow has continually invested in its operations based in Texas City and looks forward to many more years of successful growth.
Port of Texas City/Texas City Terminal Railway
The Port of Texas City is one of the area’s oldest existing industries and serves as the foundation for Texas City and La Marque’s ability to compete in the global marketplace. The port provides dockside support as well as rail service for the petrochemical industries that call the area home. Founded in 1893, the port serves as a shining example of private commerce and is ranked the largest privately owned port in the United States and the fourth largest in Texas. The port is recognized around the globe as one of the best port sites anywhere and serves more than 4,000 vessels, deep draft and inland barge every year via its berths.
The port also provides seamless rail connection to two Class 1 railroads by means of its switching terminal, the Texas City Terminal Railway Company. Through the port, the City of Texas City was aided in its growth primarily through the foresight of company founders who took almost 5,000 acres of property for the construction of the city as plans for the original port were laid out.
The futuristic vision continues today as the port, with its sister operations of the Texas City Terminal Railway Company, maintain the latest dock facilities, equipment and innovative infrastructure to meet the requirements and demands of the global marketplace. This vision continues as the Port of Texas City continues to position itself as a leader within the port industry.
TNMP
Texas-New Mexico Power has been providing service to Texas City and La Marque for more than 85 years. While you now purchase electricity and arrange billing with retail electric providers of your choosing, TNMP remains your electric delivery service provider. With more than 60 employees working in its Texas City office and more than 80 nearby in the Gulf Coast region, TNMP continues to deliver electricity safely and reliably to more than 38,000 customers on the mainland, specifically Texas City, La Marque and Dickinson. TNMP remains committed to its communities through nonprofit grants, support for community safety programs and active volunteerism.
Valero
The Valero Texas City Refinery has the capacity to process about 260,000 barrels of crude oil and other feed stocks each day, and employs more than 460 employees. The refinery’s primary products include gasoline, ultra-low-sulfur diesel, liquefied petroleum gases and aviation fuels.
Safety, environmental responsibility and community support are among Valero’s guiding principles. The refinery has one of the best safety and environmental performance records in the nation and has been a leader in OSHA’s Volunteer Protection Program, proudly maintaining STAR status, the highest of rankings in the program, since 2003.
Valero Texas City employees continued their legacy of giving in 2021 by pledging more than $668,000 to the United Way of Galveston County Mainland, ranking as the largest contributor in the area. In addition, Valero has demonstrated a commitment to the community by donating more than $5 million in charitable contributions since 2012 and thousands of volunteer hours to the various organizations across Galveston County.
LA MARQUE IS The city FOR INDUSTRY
Why La Marque? A new location in La Marque recently was selected by industrial service company Industrial Commissioning Consultants International (ICCI). We asked Thomas Keim, strategic account manager for ICCI, to explain why this city was chosen.
“We moved to La Marque to be closer to customers, and the location is big enough to store our large fleet of specialized pre-commissioning cleaning equipment, and to grow our company,” Keim said. “A majority of our staff live in or near the La Marque area, and our vice president grew up and still resides in La Marque.”
ICCI is an industrial service company founded in 2002 that focuses on petrochemical and power market customers — many of them located in the Gulf Coast area. Originally, the company was started as a consulting and engineering company. Over time, it began providing turnkey cleaning services with staffing and equipment rentals.
During the past two years, ICCI has added staff and began providing services in Canada and across Latin America. Its typical customer is constructing, expanding or maintaining an industrial facility and needs help preparing the pipe and vessels to be clean prior to initial operation.
At its heart, ICCI is a field service company with a strong engineering background and a unique and powerful combination of deep experience, sharp focus and high-performance equipment.
“Finding a great number of businesses that complement our services as well as being able to hire locally was the primary draw to La Marque,” Keim said. “A big focus for us in growing our business was to find talented motivated people and La Marque has offered up some incredible resources.” “The networking offered through the Chamber has been a key to some recent successes for ICCI,” Keim said on what benefits ICCI has found in Chamber involvement. “Along with the great events put on by the Chamber, the ability for ICCI to offer resources for the community to help expand, grow and beautify, the area was a big benefit.”
Executive Director of the La Marque Economic Development Corporation Alex Getty emphasized the impact that ICCI has had on the city.
Fortunately, there is more room for businesses to expand in La Marque and Texas City. The Chamber welcomes large and small businesses and offers assistance with introductions and site selection.
