US petrochemical plants shut down amid subfreezing temperature in winter storms

Several petrochemical plants in Texas, USA have taken offline late last week as a precautious measure ahead of the winter storm that send temperatures to subfreezing levels and knocked out power supplies in many areas.

• LyondellBasell reduced operating rates at its cracker in Channelview, Texas.
• INEOS Styrolution shut styrene unit in Bayport, Texas.
• Chevron Phillips Chemical shut HDPE unit in Pasadena, Texas 
• Chevron Phillips Chemical shut two crackers in at Cedar Bayou, Texas
• Braskem shut PP units in Texas
• TPC Group shut down critical equipment

Other producers, including BASF, Celanese, INEOS and Sasol have reportedly started the winter protocols, however, there are no specific reports of these makers shutting down.

Unlike the winter storm in February 2021, USA producers actively implemented measures to protect their critical equipment, including insulation and steam tracing. As such, industry experts believed that the current shutdown might be temporary and the impact on the supply might be very much manageable. 

In 2021, many plants were down for months as the extreme temperature damaged pipes and connections, which sent petrochemical prices worldwide to multi-year high levels.