Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • CFO of the Year
    • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Bioplastics Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • PFAS Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Resin Prices Overview
    • Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temperature Thermoplastics
    • Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Thermosets
    • Europe - Virgin
    • Europe - Recycled
    • Europe - Feedstock
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
News
December 11, 2019 09:42 AM

TPC plant explosion's impact on butadiene market still being assessed

Miles Moore
Rubber & Plastics News
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    EPA photo
    An aerial image shows the Port Neches TPC Group facility that had an explosion on Nov. 30.

    A butadiene-fueled fire that broke out following a pair of explosions at a TPC Group butadiene extraction facility in Port Neches, Texas, has been extinguished, but the impact on the surrounding community and the butadiene market overall still is being assessed.

    In the wake of the Nov. 27 blast, two of the facility's distillation towers fell and more are likely to have been affected, according to Bill Hyde, executive director of olefins and elastomers at IHS Markit.

    Hyde expects the Port Neches plant, which has an annual butadiene extraction capacity of 426,000 metric tons, to be closed throughout 2020 and most likely beyond. That facility, he noted, accounts for 17 percent of U.S. butadiene capacity.

    Butadiene is a feedstock for ABS resins and styrenic block copolymers. It also can be used to make adiponitrile, which is a feedstock for nylon 6/6 resin.

    TPC Group Chief Executive Edward Dineen told the 175 employees at Port Neches on Nov. 30 that they would be paid until the end of the year, when the facility will be closed indefinitely.

    Hyde said the explosion's impact on TPC will be devastating but believes the short-term impact on the total butadiene market will be nominal, namely because butadiene facilities in the U.S. are running at a capacity rate of about 60 percent.

    "I've spoken with a number of customers, and they tell me that butadiene inventories are high, while demand is relatively low," he said. "In a steady state, with everything running normally, it looks like this is manageable."

    On the other hand, another major break in the butadiene supply system could mean trouble because the built-in capacity excess the industry has had for years is gone, Hyde said.

    The TPC fire began after two explosions at the facility on Nov. 27. The blast could be felt by those living near the facility, and many in Port Neches and neighboring communities reported damage to their homes as a result.

    Emergency crews battled the blaze for about week by cutting off lines at the plant that may have been fueling the fire, allowing the fire to burn itself out, according to TPC and local news reports.

    Response measures are ongoing and the fire continues to be contained, according to the latest TPC press release on the blaze.

    "Unified Command remains focused on mitigating the event and maintaining the safety of responders and the community," the company said.

    Two Port Neches employees and a contractor were injured in the Nov. 27 incident, and an estimated 60,000 people were evacuated from communities surrounding the plant after the explosion. Residents were allowed to return home Nov. 30, the same day a distillation tower at the plant collapsed.

    Officials with the Southeast Texas Alerting Network continue to monitor weather conditions and air quality, providing Port Neches area residents with health and safety updates, including voluntary shelter in place and evacuation details.

    TPC is providing an emotional support hotline, staffed by licensed professional counselors from Samaritan Counseling Center of Southeast Texas, for local residents affected by the fire and the evacuations.

    TPC said it has sent roughly 100 claims representatives into the field, going door to door in the neighborhoods most severely impacted by the evacuations. Residents who live outside the highest-impact areas and have filed claims will be contacted and visited by appointment.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    KIMW studies ways to disrupt RF interference
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    GF investing $30M in Oklahoma to add growing space for plastics unit
    2
    What's next after ‘disappointing' plastics treaty talks?
    3
    Resin makers, brand owners differ on plastics treaty priorities
    4
    PET bottle resin prices take a tumble
    5
    Resin Prices
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Find more newsletters at plasticsnews.com/newsletters.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • CFO of the Year
        • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Videos
      • Podcasts
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Bioplastics Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • PFAS Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Resin Prices Overview
      • Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temperature Thermoplastics
      • Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Recycled Plastics
      • Thermosets
      • Europe - Virgin
      • Europe - Recycled
      • Europe - Feedstock
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified