ExxonMobil has announced that it will invest more than $250 million in “Project Holly,” a new resin manufacturing facility at its Port Allen Lubricants Plant. The development is expected to support roughly 600 construction jobs and create 45 permanent positions, according to Rory Denicola, public and government affairs adviser for ExxonMobil.
The facility will produce and package high-performance Proxxima resins. Proxxima is ExxonMobil’s proprietary thermoset resin technology, designed to produce lightweight, durable materials for a range of industrial applications. The resins can be used in automotive components, industrial coatings and structural materials, among other uses.
Project Holly remains in the development phase, Denicola says, with construction expected to span about three years. A groundbreaking date has not yet been announced. The 45 permanent positions created by the project will include both employee positions and contractor positions.
In 2023, ExxonMobil announced plans for a $100 million resin manufacturing facility in West Baton Rouge Parish; Project Holly appears to be an evolution of those earlier plans.
Project Holly received a unanimous recommendation from West Baton Rouge Parish’s local Industrial Tax Exemption Program committee in August. Louisiana’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program offers a property tax abatement on qualifying capital investments made by manufacturers. Project Holly’s ITEP application is subject to further state-level review. Separately, ExxonMobil is spending more than $100 million upgrading its Baton Rouge chemical plant to produce high-purity isopropyl alcohol used in semiconductor manufacturing. That project is expected to be completed in 2027.
