BASF FINA Petrochemicals LP Celebrates 10 Years of Operations with Port Arthur Area Leaders

PORT ARTHUR, Texas, Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Port Arthur area officials and BASF FINA Petrochemicals LP executives today celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the BASF FINA Petrochemicals operation, home to one of the world's largest single train naphtha steam crackers. Since operations began in 2001, the site has produced more than 34 billion pounds of products that are essential chemical building blocks for many consumer and industrial goods.

"We are very proud to recognize this important milestone for the BASF FINA joint venture," said Juergen Fuchs, Vice President of the Port Arthur site. "The past 10 years of success have been made possible thanks to the dedication of employees and the continued support and collaboration of the Southeast Texas community."

"The Port Arthur Refinery and the BASF FINA joint venture are anchors of Total's commitment to the petrochemicals business," said Geoffroy Petit, Chief Executive Officer, TOTAL Petrochemicals USA, Inc.  "We are pleased to be such an integral part of the energy presence in Texas and look forward to many more years of successful operations."

When first constructed, the $1 billion BASF FINA steam cracker operation was the largest single train naphtha steam cracker in the world. It represented a construction project of unprecedented scale – spanning 60 acres, rising 320 feet; and using 150 miles of process piping and 6,000 tons of steel.

The Sabina Petrochemicals C4 olefins complex, also a joint venture between BASF and Total, started operations shortly after the steam cracker. It is the world's largest single train butadiene extraction unit with a world scale downstream indirect alkylation unit. It was the first commercial metathesis unit to convert ethylene to propylene. Butadiene is used in the production of rubber and plastics. Alkylate is used as a fuel additive for high octane gasoline blending.

"BASF FINA Petrochemicals is a great example of a company that listens and responds to the needs of the community," said Texas State Representative Joe Deshotel. "I am proud of the company's decade of accomplishments and look forward to their long-term contributions to this area."

"BASF FINA is committed to investing significantly in further improvement and expansion efforts at the site," said Fuchs. "We will continue to be a strong and dependable partner to our community."

More facts about BASF FINA Petrochemicals in Port Arthur:

• Employs 229 direct employees and more than 200 contractors
• Direct annual payroll of more than $65 million in 2010
• Paid nearly $12 million in local taxes in 2010
• More than $2.2 million in charitable contributions made over 10 years to local community-base nonprofits

Total Petrochemicals

Total Petrochemicals encompasses petrochemicals activities of TOTAL S.A., the fifth largest oil company worldwide. Its business includes base petrochemicals from steam crackers and refinery processing plants – olefins (ethylene, propylene), C4 fractions and aromatics (benzene, toluene, xylenes and styrene) – as well as derivative commodity polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and elastomers). Total Petrochemicals is a global producer of styrene and polystyrene, with production facilities in the United States, France, Spain, Belgium, England, Singapore and China.

Total Petrochemicals USA, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, produces polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, styrene, base chemicals and transportation fuels. The company employs about 1,700 people in the United States and has manufacturing facilities in Texas and Louisiana, a research and development facility in La Porte, Texas, and a refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. Further information is available at www.totalpetrochemicalsusa.com and www.usa.total.com.

BASF - The Chemical Company.

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 16,400 employees in North America, and had sales of $17.7 billion in 2010. For more information about BASF's North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, and agricultural products to oil and gas. As a reliable partner, BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges, such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than euro 63.9 billion in 2010 and had approximately 109,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com or in the Social Media Newsroom at newsroom.basf.com.

SOURCE BASF Corporation

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