LyondellBasell announced Friday that it has selected its manufacturing complex in La Porte, TX, as the site for a new $700 million plastics plant.

The Houston-based company said the new plant will produce high density polyethylene (HDPE) and will have an annual capacity of 1.1 billion pounds (see Daily GPI, Aug. 1). The project, part of the company’s $4 billion expansion in Texas, is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs at the peak of construction and up to 75 permanent jobs once construction is completed.

LyondellBasell said construction is expected to begin in early 2017, with the new plant starting operations in 2019.

“This project represents the next generation of technology,” said CEO Bob Patel. “This location is ideal for this facility because of the feedstock advantage we enjoy, the ability to ship product around the world and, most importantly, the outstanding workforce that the Gulf Coast has to offer.”

LyondellBasell currently produces a total of 7.8 billion pounds of HDPE annually, including capacity of its joint venture facilities. The company is a leading worldwide producer of all forms of polyethylene with an annual capacity of 13.2 billion pounds.

The company recently completed work on ethylene expansion projects at the La Porte and Channelview sites in Texas (see Daily GPI,Sept. 24). A third ethylene expansion project is currently underway in Corpus Christi, TX. Additionally, development of a world scale propylene oxide and tertiary butyl alcohol plant at the company’s Channelview site is progressing (see Daily GPI, Nov. 23, 2015).