Louisiana chemical plants shut down as Hurricane Francine nears landfall, major capacities at risk

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Several chemical companies are
shutting down plants in Louisiana, with others
taking other precautionary measures as the eye
of Francine – now a Category 2 hurricane –
approaches the coast for imminent landfall.

Roehm is taking its methyl methacrylate (MMA)
plant in Fortier, Louisiana offline.

BASF earlier on 10 September started procedures
to idle
operations in Geismar, North Geismar
and Vidalia, Louisiana.

Shell has shut
in oil and gas production in the Gulf
of Mexico at its Perdido, Auger and
Enchilada/Salsa assets, but its chemical
production sites in Geismar and Norco,
Louisiana, and Deer Park, Texas, were operating
normally as of Shell’s latest update on 10
September.

Operations were continuing at ExxonMobil’s
Baton Rouge, Louisiana plant as of 10
September.

Louisiana is home to just above 25% of the
total ethylene capacity in the US, according to
the ICIS Supply and Demand Database.

It also has close to 50% of the country’s
vinyls chain capacity – for polyvinyl chloride
(PVC), chlorine, ethylene dichloride (EDC),
vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) and caustic soda.

Other significant exposures close to 50% of
total US capacity include methanol,
ethylbenzene, styrene and low density
polyethylene (LDPE).

Upstream, an estimated 38.56% of current US oil
production and 48.77% of US natural gas
production in the Gulf of Mexico was shut in,
according to the
Bureau of Safety and Environmental
Enforcement (BSEE).

The Port of New Orleans has shut down, and
railroad companies
are warning customers of delays as traffic
will be diverted following the port’s
flood-gate closure.

Track the latest updates on Hurricane
Francine and its impact on chemicals on the

Topic Page: Storm Season 2024.

Thumbnail shows wind speed probabilities of
Hurricane Francine from the US National
Hurricane Center

Focus article by Joseph Chang