On the night of 28 September 2021, an explosion shook the Petro 2 plant in Lake Charles in the US state of Louisiana, a facility run by Westlake (Houston, Texas / USA; www.westlake.com). Six workers servicing the ethane cracker were taken to hospital, with a number reportedly suffering severe burns. Local media quoted a police spokesperson as saying that the fire following the explosion was not major and was extinguished by morning. The cause of the incident is currently under investigation. Westlake confirmed the information when asked by Plasteurope.com.

According to the PIE’s Polyglobe database (www.polyglobe.net), the light feed cracker has an ethylene capacity of almost 700,000 t/y, so it is more of a medium-sized plant at the petrochemicals site between Lake Charles and nearby Sulfur. In the immediate vicinity, numerous companies, including Citgo, Indorama, Lotte, and Sasol, operate production primarily for precursors, and, to a lesser extent, for polymers such as polyethylene and PVC.