Fire at US Dow’s Freeport complex impacts three PE units, operations under safety review

A fire broke out at Dow’s petrochemical complex in Freeport, Texas, on 6 October, affecting three PE units, according to a filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The incident, which followed an unexpected facility upset, led to flare outages and impacted the Polyethylene 5, Polyethylene 6, and Polyethylene 7 unit.

The Polyethylene 7 unit—Dow’s newest 600,000 tons per year LLDPE facility that began operations in June—was among those affected. The fire was contained, isolated, and extinguished shortly after it began, though emissions are expected to continue until the evening of 8 October.

Dow has not yet disclosed the extent of the damage or the expected timeline for restarting the affected units. In an official statement, the company confirmed that the fire was confined to a single block within the Plant B area of the Freeport complex and that all employees were safe and accounted for.

“Our emergency response teams acted swiftly to contain the incident, and we are conducting thorough safety reviews in coordination with local authorities,” Dow said.

With approximately 1.7 million tons per year of PE capacity, the Freeport facility accounted for 44% of Dow’s products sold in the US and more than 20% of its global output. Given its scale, any operational disruption has the potential to ripple through multiple value chains, though market participants said the US PE market remains well supplied with limited concern over near-term tightness.

Aside from the PE capacity, the complex also houses a 680,000 tons per year No. 7 light hydrocarbon cracking unit. The cracker supplies key feedstocks to the affected PE lines, and while Dow has not reported any direct damage to the unit, any extended downtime in polymer production could prompt feedstock adjustments or temporary rate cuts across the site.

While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, early indications suggest that operations in other parts of the site were unaffected. The swift containment and absence of injuries underscore the effectiveness of Dow’s emergency response systems at one of its most vital production hubs.

Written: Farid Muzaffar