ExxonMobil to expand metallocene-based elastomer capacity

BATON ROUGE, La. (May 1)—ExxonMobil Chemical Co. has broken ground on a $150 million, 90,000 metric tons-per-year facility to make metallocene-based ethylene elastomer products at its Baton Rouge site. The plant should be operational by the third quarter of 2003, the company said. The capacity expansion will include Vistalon EPDM, Exact plastomers and other polymers produced through the company's metallocene technology, according to ExxonMobil Chemical. "This expansion is an important step in advancing our ethylene elastomer product portfolio with unique, differentiated products and providing the capability to increase our base EPDM production," Jim Harris, senior vice president, polymers, said in a prepared statement. The Baton Rouge facility already has 90,000 tons of annual metallocene-based production capacity.