Frequent questions

The site is located adjacent to the city of Gregory on County Road 2986 and U.S. Highway 181 in San Patricio County, Texas. This location provides access to locally available, abundant natural gas feedstocks, as well as required infrastructure.

The GCGV facility is operational. GCGV announced mechanical completion of its monoethylene glycol unit and two polyethylene units in July 2021. Project startup was completed in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The facility includes a steam cracker, capable of producing 1.8 million tonnes per year of ethylene, and three derivative units. The footprint is more than 1,000 acres, which includes a buffer zone.

Feedstock for the facility is acquired from domestic sources, mainly here in Texas.

The facility creates the building blocks of everyday products that enhance safety and make our lives more efficient. GCGV produces polyethylene, which can be used in the production of medical supplies, food packaging, agricultural film and building and construction materials, and monoethylene glycol, which can be used to manufacture polyester clothing, food packaging and liquid containers. Learn more about our products.

Ethane cracking involves heating ethane until it breaks down (“cracks”) to form a mixture of ethylene and small amounts of other gases. It is then distilled further in a series of processes to create pure ethylene.

As the operating partner of the facility, ExxonMobil manages hiring for job roles with Gulf Coast Growth Ventures. If you are interested in a job at the facility, you can join the ExxonMobil Talent Community now to create a profile, set preferences and get email alerts when a job that fits your profile becomes available.

The project is committed to developing a pathway for the local workforce to gain experience. We will work with Del Mar College, local high schools and other institutions to identify and train potential workers and enhance existing workforce training programs. 

If you are interested in learning more about careers in the petrochemical industry, visit www.petrochemworks.com. 

ExxonMobil and SABIC bring significant expertise to this project, having worked together in petrochemical ventures for more than 40 years. Safety is a top priority for both companies, who have excellent safety records. The facility was designed with advanced safety measures, and both companies have earned recognition for their safety results. For more information, visit our Safety and Environment pages.

Ethane, the feedstock for the facility, is heated (“cracked”) to form a mixture of ethylene and other gases. The mixture is then distilled further in a series of processes to create pure ethylene. The ethylene is then transferred to derivative units, which produce polyethylene and monoethylene glycol.

Significant investment has been made in Best Available Control Technologies (BACT). Ongoing monitoring occurs at the site, including continuous emissions monitoring systems, rigorous leak detection and repair monitoring and fence-line monitoring. GCGV also installed air monitors in the community to provide additional, publicly available data. This information can be accessed at https://gpair.ceer.utexas.edu.

In the early project development phase, GCGV listened to community concerns and feedback about environmental considerations. As part of our Good Neighbor Program, the project funded two air monitors in the local community. The monitors and associated data are maintained by AECOM, experts in engineering and environmental services. The quality-assured data are posted to a public website, which is maintained by The University of Texas at Austin, experts in air quality monitoring and data analyses.

Flares are important safety devices used to keep a facility running safely during unplanned operational interruptions or during scheduled maintenance activities. Because this is a brand new facility, GCGV engineered a staged system consisting of elevated flares and a ground flare.

The ground flare is the primary flare at the facility, while two elevated flares are used for smaller quantities of product. One benefit of this design is the sound produced by the ground flare is estimated to be two orders of magnitude lower than the sound from an elevated flare when flaring the same amount of product.

Systems with ground flare technology have demonstrated:

• Reduced hydrocarbon emissions (they achieve higher destruction efficiency than alternatives)

• Reduced noise

• Reduced low-frequency vibration

• Reduced illumination (the ground flare flame is behind a fence at ground level)

• Reduced energy consumption (which minimizes emissions, including greenhouse gases)

• Reduced water consumption

Learn more about GCGV’s ground flares.

Flares are important safety devices used to keep a facility running safely during unplanned operational interruptions or during scheduled maintenance activities. During these periods, material is collected and routed to the flare system, which functions to maximize combustion of hydrocarbons, or VOCs, while minimizing the amount of emissions in the air.

To learn more about GCGV’s ground flares watch this video.

GCGV’s plant was designed with measures to minimize noise and light, such as insulation and housing compressors inside buildings. Additionally, we are using berms, landscaping, buildings and foliage to absorb or block light and sound.