LyondellBasell said on Monday that it was restarting olefins and polyolefins units at its complex in La Porte, Texas, after a chemical leak that killed two people last week. According to the company, the units are located in separate parts of the complex. LyondellBasell reported a release of around 100,000 lb of a mixture that included acetic acid at 19:35 Houston time on July 27 from the site. Two contractors were killed, while about 30 workers were hospitalised.
LyondellBasell said that the investigation into the incident is underway, and it will take some time before determining the cause of the leak. At La Porte, LyondellBasell operates a 1.5 million tons/year cracker, a 500,000 tons/year high-density polyethylene (HDPE) unit, a 555,000 tons/year low-density polyethylene (LDPE) unit, and a 355,000 tons/year linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) plant.
