ExxonMobil announced last week that its new Port Allen, Louisiana, aviation lubricants plant is operating at full capacity as it makes the companys Mobil Jet brand engine lubricants.
The aviation lubricants blending, packaging and distribution facility started shipping product worldwide in August after receiving regulatory approvals. The plants lubricant production capacity was not disclosed.
Photo: ExxonMobil
Containers move through a packaging line at ExxonMobils new aviation lubricants plant in Port Allen, Louisiana.
The 90,000 square foot facility is part of a $200 million investment to expand ExxonMobils integrated chemical and lubricants complex in Baton Rouge, which is already one of the largest petrochemical hubs in the world.
ExxonMobil expects the global fleet of planes to double and modernize over the next 20 years.
We anticipate that demand for advanced aviation fuels and lubricants will increase 55 percent by 2040, Nancy Carlson, ExxonMobil Fuels and Lubricants vice president of aviation and marine, said in a news release. According to ExxonMobils The Outlook for Energy: A View to 2040, most of the increased demand is expected to come from China, India and other emerging markets.
The Port Allen plant will position ExxonMobil for growth, enabling the company to meet the emerging needs of the industry while integrating modern technologies to manufacture aviation engine oils for many years to come, Carlson said.
The company said the facility uses the latest manufacturing equipment, including in-line blending, high-speed quart line and flow-through racking, and a range of sustainable features to increase electrical energy efficiency, including natural day-lighting panels, a comprehensive recycling program and dedicated water treatment facilities.
ExxonMobils aviation engine oils include Mobil Jet Oil II, Mobile Jet Oil 254 and Mobil Jet Oil 387, the companys most advanced, synthetic, high-performance turbine engine oil.
In 2012, Louisiana Economic Development worked in partnership with ExxonMobil to position the state to land the facility. The partnership helped to create 400 direct construction jobs and 45 new, permanent jobs between the Port Allen and chemical plant sites.
ExxonMobils Edison, New Jersey, facility previously blended, packaged and stored aviation lubricants. The company did not disclose whether the Edison facility would remain in operation.