ExxonMobil officials say the company’s Baton Rouge operations should benefit from plans to triple its total daily production in the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico to more than 600,000 barrels by 2025, Exxon says.
The increased production will provide low-cost supply and feedstocks to ExxonMobil downstream and chemical operations in Baton Rouge, Baytown, Beaumont and Mt. Belvieu, Texas, the company says in a news release. The facilities manufacture products like polyethylene to meet the demand for high-performance plastics and advanced synthetic lubricant base stock products.
Exxon unveiled plans to triple production in the Permian Basin on Tuesday, a day after it announced plans to invest more than $50 billion along the Gulf Coast and in other U.S. operations. The investment will be made over the course of the next five years and includes oil production and manufacturing plants.
It’s unclear if any of that money will be funneled to Louisiana—though state officials tell the USA Today Network of Louisiana they’re hopeful to secure a portion of it.
“I’m very confident ExxonMobil which has called Louisiana home for more than 100 years will see the value in Louisiana for additional investment,” Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson says.
But Don Briggs, president of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, isn’t so optimistic, citing Gov. John Bel Edwards’ support of lawsuits accusing the energy industry of causing the state’s coastal erosion.
“This governor has a different attitude than I’ve ever seen in the office,” Briggs says. “Right now, we’ve got a lot of checks against us, and it breaks my heart.”
