ExxonMobil’s Baytown TX restart efforts continue; fuel terminals coming back online

Sept. 6, 2017
Find information on ExxonMobil’s Baytown TX restart efforts after Hurricane Harvey.

ExxonMobil said on September 5 that facility assessments and restart activities continue at its Baytown TX refinery, and that it has made significant progress in restarting chemical production, pipelines, and other logistical infrastructure in the Houston TX area.

The company’s fuel terminals in Houston are open and supplying gasoline and diesel to customers. Offshore production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico are beginning to return to normal operations. Production units at the Beaumont refinery remain shutdown due to flooding in the lower level of the refinery.

Efforts are underway to transport refined products from unaffected regions to communities and customers in the most severely impacted areas. The company is delaying scheduled maintenance at other ExxonMobil refineries to continue producing gasoline and diesel to relieve the supply situation. Personnel from the Baton Rouge LA, Billings MT, and Joliet IL refineries are being deployed to Baytown and Beaumont TX to help restore operations.

The company has allocated supplies of fuel for use by emergency responders, and has thus far provided nearly 650,000 gallons to responders working in areas impacted by the storm, including Beaumont, Baytown, and the greater Houston area, as well as Dallas and Baton Rouge. In Beaumont, ExxonMobil engineers continue to assist the city with restoring the municipal water system, which was impacted by flooding. The company has distributed 30,000 bottles of water and about 400 pounds of toiletries in Beaumont. About 4,500 gallons of bleach have also been provided to Jefferson County for distribution to residents and businesses in impacted areas.

“Our teams have been working around the clock to restore operations as quickly and safely as possible so we can supply fuels to our customers,” said Darren W Woods, ExxonMobil chairman and chief executive officer. “The incredible efforts our employees have put behind maintaining critical operations under challenging conditions has been remarkable.”

ExxonMobil has also been assessing impacts on its onshore and offshore oil and gas production assets. Galveston 209 offshore platform systems are safe and operational, and startup operations are underway. The Hadrian South subsea production system in the Gulf of Mexico has been deemed safe and operational, and production has resumed. Crews from ExxonMobil subsidiary, XTO Energy, have begun assessments and are bringing onshore wells on line when safe to do so.

ExxonMobil employees are also contributing their time toward assisting area residents in need. For example, the company’s US production unit is initiating a volunteer program to continue assisting fellow employees, ExxonMobil annuitants, and the greater community. Employees have also volunteered at several area shelters, including the George R Brown Convention Center in Houston, the Fort Worth Convention Center, and others in the region.