ExxonMobil to increase metallocene high-viscosity synthetic basestock production capacity
ExxonMobil Synthetics (ExxonMobil) announced today it is responding to customer needs and has confirmed plant feasibility to significantly increasing high viscosity metallocene polyalphaolefin (High Viscosity mPAO) synthetic base stock production.
The demonstration of higher production capability is a result of a successful plant trial and planned subsequent expansion of the Baytown manufacturing facility in Texas, USA that has been serving customers for 100 years. This resulted in a proven run rate of approximately 20% over design basis and would move the capacity to 60 kilo-tons of High Viscosity mPAO production per year for the plant.
“Our customers demand a reliable supply of high quality synthetic base stocks to enable them to innovate confidently. Investing in our production facilities and responding to market drivers allows us to stay at the forefront of the base stocks industry. As adoption of the metallocene synthetic base stock platform increases across industrial, automotive and wind turbine markets, we’ve invested over half a billion dollars in plant capacity improvements in the last decade. The market is continuously evolving and the investments made position us to meet our customer’s long-term requirements as they grow their business, as well as support the increasing societal need for renewable energy. Our synthetic base stocks help formulators create lubricants that are more energy efficient, work under more severe operating conditions, offer extended drain intervals and provide advanced lubricant performance” said Kerrie-Anne Lanigan, Vice President of ExxonMobil Synthetics.
The synthetic lubricant market is forecasted to grow by over 25%* between 2020 and 2025, with a further upside in the industrial lubricant space. The ExxonMobil Synthetics Business Unit has four Group IV and V base stock manufacturing facilities supplying over 375KT across all grades to ensure global supply leadership capabilities. This has enabled ExxonMobil Synthetics to build a strong reputation for delivering products on time and on spec.
- Global leadership in manufacturing capacity:
- Low-viscosity PAO – an annual global capacity of 209,000 tons
- High-viscosity PAO – an annual global capacity of 102,000 tons
- Esters – an annual global capacity of 67,000 tons
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