LyondellBasell to Slow Construction on PO/TBA Project

HOUSTON, March 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LyondellBasell LYB, one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world, has informed the engineering and construction contractors it will slow construction of its world-scale propylene oxide (PO) and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) plant. The company is limiting non-essential activities at this time due to ongoing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including government orders designed to limit human contact.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented and evolving. Because the PO/TBA site is currently under construction and not producing needed products yet, in the interest of health and safety we believe it is prudent to limit construction activities at this time," said Torkel Rhenman, executive vice president, Intermediates & Derivatives (I&D). "We remain committed to the completion of this strategic investment incorporating our low-cost, next generation PO/TBA technology. Over the next several weeks, we will be working with our contractors and suppliers to develop a revised project timeline."

LyondellBasell's PO/TBA project broke ground in August 2018. Currently, the project is more than 30 percent complete with ongoing installation of key equipment and towers. The PO/TBA project has a split-facility design to optimize synergies between two existing LyondellBasell sites. A 140-acre PO/TBA plant is being built at the company's Channelview, Texas facility, and an associated 34-acre ethers unit is being built at the company's Bayport Complex in Pasadena, Texas. When complete, the PO/TBA plant will produce approximately 1 billion pounds (470,000 metric tons) of PO and 2.2 billion pounds (1 million metric tons) of TBA annually, which will serve the growing need for better insulation material, home comfort, cleaner fuels and other consumer applications.

This announcement does not impact LyondellBasell's ongoing operations at Channelview or Bayport, which are designated as part of the United States' critical infrastructure by the Department of Homeland Security.

About LyondellBasell
LyondellBasell LYB is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world. Driven by its employees around the globe, LyondellBasell produces materials and products that are key to advancing solutions to modern challenges like enhancing food safety through lightweight and flexible packaging, protecting the purity of water supplies through stronger and more versatile pipes, improving the safety, comfort and fuel efficiency of many of the cars and trucks on the road, and ensuring the safe and effective functionality in electronics and appliances. LyondellBasell sells products into more than 100 countries and is the world's largest producer of polymer compounds and the largest licensor of polyolefin technologies. In 2020, LyondellBasell was named for the third consecutive year to Fortune magazine's list of the "World's Most Admired Companies". More information about LyondellBasell can be found at www.LyondellBasell.com.

Forward looking statements
This release includes forward-looking statements and projections, made in reliance on the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The company has made every reasonable effort to ensure that the information and assumptions on which these statements and projections are based are current, reasonable, and complete. Actual results could differ materially based on factors including, but not limited to, our ability to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals and to successfully construct and operate the proposed facilities described in this release; any impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in geographic regions or markets served us, or where our operations are located; potential governmental regulatory actions; and general economic conditions in geographic regions or markets served by LyondellBasell or where operations of the company are located.  Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, which can be found at www.lyb.com on the Investor Relations page and on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov. While the company makes these statements and projections in good faith, neither the company nor its management can guarantee that anticipated future results will be achieved. The company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or any other forward-looking statements made by the company, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE LyondellBasell Industries