Earlier this week I explored a portion of a vast refinery complex in West Texas. During lunch the next day I returned to scout out the rest of the area and get some background on the site I had already photographed. During this time I saw that another portion of the area was being demolished.
I managed to get a meeting with the facilities manager who supplied me with the below history of the complex as well as arrange for me to photograph the site before its complete teardown. The site still has one section that is active and another large portion that is abandoned (difficult to get into but will hit that on my next trip).
What you are seeing below will be completely gone in 2 months.
HISTORY:
1929 - El Paso Natural Gas Company formed in EL Paso, TX
1956 - El Pas0 Products Company Formed in Odessa, TX
- General Tire Plant startup in Odessa, TX
1957-8 - Dtyrene & Butadine plants completed in Odessa, TX
1960 - Joint venture announced between El Paso Natural Gas and Rexaal Drug & Chemical (Dart Industries) to build two plants in Odessa - ethylene and polyethylene
1961 - Ethylene and Polyethelene plants completed
Consolidated Thermoplastics Company acquired by joint venture with Dart Industries (headquarters in Arlington Heights, IL, with plants in Harrington, DE, Chippewa Falls, WI (also has on bargaining unit); and Santa Ana, CA
1963 - First propylene column installed - now an Olefins Plant producing ethylene and popylene.
1964 - Joint venture with Beaunit Corp. to manufacture adipic acid and hexamethylenediamine in Odessa.
- Propylene and polypropylene Line 1 startup.
- Ammonia Plant startup
- Sale of El Paso Natural Gas refinery to Shell.
1966 - Name changed to El Paso Products Company
- Nylon group of plants startup, i.e. adipic acid, nitric acid, hydrogen & hexamethylenediamine (HMD)
1969 - Polypropylene Line 2 startup.
1970 - Expansion plans announced for Dart Industries joint venture - Olefin, Butadine, Styrene and Polyethylene Plants.
- Polypropylene Line 3 Startup.
1975 - Bayport, TX Polypropylene Plant startup.
1976 - Bayport, TX Polyethylene Plant startup.
1977 - Nylon plant shut down.
1979 - El Paso Products buys Dart Industries' interest in Rexene and CTC, ending 19 years of joint venture and more than doubling the size of the company.
- Styrene Plant expansion.
- Acquired CT Film plant, Golden West Plastics, at Tustin, CA.
1980 - Corpus Christi Butadiene plant startup.
- Butadiene plant shut down.
1981 - Ammonia plant shut down.
1982 - LDPE expansion
1983-4 - Burlington Northern acquired El Paso Natural Gas Company.
- Sale of El Paso Products chemical and plastics business to group of Odessa employees headed by W.D. Noel.
1986 - Converted polypropylene Line 2 to APAO
- Sale of Corpus Chrisi butadiene plant
- El Paso Hydrocarbons Co. office (subsidiary of El Paso Natural Gas) closed in Odessa.
1987 - Feedstock fracionator installed in Olefins
1988 - Polypropylene Line 3 expansion.
- (4.13.1988)
Sale of El Paso Products Company to Gilliam, Joseph & Littlejohn.
Name changed to Rexene Products Company.
Rexene goes public.
1989 - Headquarters moved to Dallas (1.1.1989)
- Bought Kenilworth, NJ greenhouse plant (1.7.1989)
- Kenilworth plant shut down (11.30.1989)
1990 - Bayport pants sold to Lyondell (2.14.1990)
- Construction of CT Film plant at Clearfield, UT completed.
1991 - CT Film plants at Tustin and Santa Ana, CA closed.
- CT Film acquired Poly-Pac Plant in Dalton, GA (6.20.1991)
- Rexene files Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
1992 - William J. Gilliam resigns as Chairman of Rexene.
- UBE/Rexene (URC) joint venture APAO Plant starts up in Japan.
- Rexene emerges from bankruptcy.
- Name changed to Rexene Corporation.
1993 - ISO 9000 certification granted in Odessa.
- APAO expansion announced in Odessa.
1994 - Announced construction begins on new FPO plant.
- Construction of CT Film plant at Scunthorpe England completed.
1995 - Groundbreaking for FPO Plant.
- Major Olefin plant expansion announced.
- New LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene) plant construction announced.
1996 - Rexene announces startup of REXflex Polymer Plant (12/27.1996)
1997 - Rexene merges with private company, Huntsman Corporation, headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT (8.27.1997)
- Dallas headquarters closed (12.31.1997)
1998-9 - Olefin expansion startup
- LLDPE startup.
2000 - FPO shut down.
2001 - Styrene plant shut down.
2001 - Line 1 PP shut down.
2007 - FHR buys Odessa site (August)
2008 - FHR announces facility shutdown (November)
2015 - Facility demolished.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
