Joint Corpus Christi Polymers plant in Texas resumes construction

Indorama Ventures Public Co. Ltd. (IVL), a sustainable chemical company based in Bangkok, has announced that construction of an integrated purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant in Corpus Christi, Texas, will resume in August.   

Corpus Christi Polymers LLC (CCP), a partnership between three companies, is expected to begin production in 2025. IVL says it will ensure continued cost-competitive production to support the growth of its global PET operations into the next decade.  

CCP was formed in 2018 as a joint venture between Corpus Christi Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of IVL; DAK Americas LLC, a subsidiary of Alpek, Monterrey, Mexico; and APG Polytech USA Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of Far Eastern New Century, Taipei, Taiwan. The partnership follows the purchase of a partially constructed facility of M&G Resins in Corpus Christi. Each partner will procure its own raw materials and receive one-third of the PTA and PET produced at the facility to sell and distribute independently.  

Construction of the plant is resuming following a period of pandemic-related disruptions. Through the pandemic, the partners resolved to continue planning amid continued demand for PET packaging and the need for shorter supply chains. 

“We welcome the resumption of construction at the Corpus Christi facility and look forward to working with our partners towards a full production in 2025,” says Sanjay Ahuja, executive president of combined PET for IVL. “As we moved past the pandemic’s peak, conditions improved to the point where our firm resolve can now be rewarded.”   

IVL says CCP is expected to be the largest vertically integrated PTA-PET production plant in the Americas. It also says it is the company’s biggest greenfields project in the U.S. since the development of the AlphaPet production facility at Decatur, Alabama. The facility will expand IVL’s coverage to customers across the U.S. The plant’s vertical integration optimizes PTA-PET production and, together with the availability of raw materials paraxylene and mono ethylene glycol in the U.S., ensures long-term competitive-cost supply for IVL’s locally integrated polyester value chain, IVL says.  

The facility will have nominal annual capacities of 1.1 million metric tons of PET and 1.3 million metric tons of PTA, shared between the partners. Increasing virgin plastic production could affect pricing and demand for recycled PET.   

CCP is adding to its leadership team to prepare for the new growth opportunities. Russell Wilson will leave his role with IVL as head of manufacturing Americas, combined PET, to take up a new role as CEO of CCP in July. He brings 30 years of aromatics and PET leadership experience, including previous roles with Amoco and BP, before joining IVL.   

Todd Hogue, IVL’s global head of environmental health and safety, replaces Wilson as IVL’s representative on CCP’s Board. Michael Day recently joined CCP as project director in June and brings 34 years of construction leadership experience, including senior roles with Bilfinger, KBR and CB&I. Jeff Shea will assume the role of chief operating officer in July. Shea has been in the PET industry for the last 22 years and has managed PET sites for the last 17 years.