Eastman, a global specialty materials company, has been selected by the Department of Energy (DOE) to begin award negotiations for up to $375 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding as part of the Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP). The DOE funding led Eastman to announce plans to build a second U.S. molecular recycling facility in Longview, Texas. Tennessee-based Eastman was among 33 companies selected by the DOE for award negotiations.
“We are excited to build our second U.S. world-scale molecular recycling facility at our existing site in Texas,” said Mark Costa, Board Chair and CEO, Eastman. “The plant will remove significant waste from the region, enable true circularity and set a new benchmark for decarbonization. We have decades of history successfully operating in Longview, and this will be a great investment for the local community.”
The company selected the Longview site due to synergies with existing infrastructure and operations, favorable energy supply and footprint, and access to western and central U.S. feedstock pools. The location also provides enough space for onsite renewable energy. The investment includes operations that will prepare mixed plastic waste for processing, Eastman’s next-generation molecular recycling unit to depolymerize waste, and a polymer facility to create virgin-quality materials for packaging and textiles. The Longview molecular recycling facility will have the capacity to recycle approximately 110,000 metric tonnes of hard-to-recycle plastic waste.
The investment is expected to bring over 200 full-time, high-paying jobs to the Longview community in addition to approximately 1,000 temporary construction jobs during site development and building of the facility. Eastman has operated in the Longview community for over 70 years and currently has over 1,500 workers at the location.
“The plant will remove significant waste from the region, enable true circularity and set a new benchmark for decarbonization. We have decades of history successfully operating in Longview, and this will be a great investment for the local community.”
— Mark Costa, Board Chair/CEO, Eastman
The company was selected by the DOE to accelerate the demonstration of industry-leading low-carbon intensity recycled PET with this project. Reaching a collaborative agreement with the DOE enables expanding the project to include the deployment of thermal heat batteries and onsite solar power. This, combined with Eastman’s next-generation methanolysis technology, achieves a step-change improvement in decarbonizing PET production resulting in recycled PET with greater than 70 percent reduced carbon emissions compared to fossil virgin production, and approximately 90 percent reduced carbon emissions when including avoided emissions.
Eastman’s planned project in Longview is aligned with the DOE’s goal of catalyzing industry-wide change to a low-carbon future.
As part of the award from the DOE, the company plans to support the renovation of a community center to be used as a hub for community outreach, workforce training and development, and other ongoing needs of its community partners.
“We are honored to be selected by the DOE to help fund this important project,” Costa added. “The commitment helps us to further invest in the local community with a comprehensive community benefits plan. The support of these partners is a testament to our technology and the difference we can make for future generations.”
In support of the project, Eastman also obtained state and local tax incentives totaling approximately $70 million.
“Texas is where businesses flourish and people prosper,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “With our highly skilled workforce, unmatched business climate, and reasonable regulations, it is no surprise businesses from around the globe continue to choose to grow in Texas. This additional facility by Eastman in Longview will bring hundreds of good-paying jobs to hardworking Texans and millions in capital investment to East Texas.”
In addition to the newly announced facility in Texas, Eastman recently completed its first molecular recycling facility in Kingsport, Tennessee and has plans for another location in France.
Liberty Energy Breaks Ground On $50M Regional HQ
At the Leeco Industrial Park in Odessa, Liberty Energy recently broke ground on its new $50 million regional headquarters facility. The state-of-the-art facility will include office space, a workshop, and a 50,000-square-foot warehouse and truck wash facility.
“Liberty is excited about this new $50 million facility,” said Chris Wright, Liberty CEO. “We are in the business of bettering human lives, and there is no better place to make that happen than in Odessa, Texas, the heart of the Permian Basin. In partnership with our customers, Liberty is dedicated to producing affordable, reliable and secure energy that enables the modern world.”
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Lone Star State Success Driven By ‘Hardworking Texans’The Odessa Development Corporation (ODC) awarded the company a five-year agreement with a $2.5 million grant.
“We are focused on investment in this community and its people, and these public-private partnerships are how we grow. It’s all about the jobs,” ODC Board President Kris Crow said at the groundbreaking event.
The project will retain 1,000 full-time employees in Odessa, and allow Liberty to add another 500 full-time positions.
