The Replacements
Cajun Deep Foundations was brought in to replace the original contractors
in the building of ExxonMobil’s Ethane Cracker Unit
The North American Growth (NAG) project consists of a
new, multi-billion dollar Ethane Cracker Unit at ExxonMobil’s
Baytown, Texas facility. The world-scale, natural gas
and liquid steam cracker will have the capacity to produce up to 1.5
million tons of Ethylene Feedstock per year for chemical processing.
This ethylene will be used for processing at two new 650,000-tonsper
year polyethylene lines at their Mont Belvieu, Texas plastics
plant. Industry specialists estimate the entire project’s value at $6
billion, and it represents the single largest investment ExxonMobil
has ever made in the United States. The NAG project is so large
that it was divided into separate projects, with Cajun’s involvement
being on the Olefins Furnace (OF) portion. ExxonMobil contracted
with Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding (MES) and Engineering
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
and Consortium International (ECI), to whom Cajun Constructors,
LLC was already contracted. Cajun Deep Foundations, LLC partnered
with Cajun Constructors, LLC for the piling scope of work in
the Olefins Furnace.
Cajun was not originally awarded the contract for this project.
However, after project start-up, due to safety issues with the selected
contractor, Cajun was called in to complete the entire scope of work.
The Cajun Deep Foundations team was given less than a month to
organize, plan and mobilize to the site. The scope involved installing
a total of 843 piles; 588 of which were 14-inch by 14-inch by
65-foot-long pre-cast concrete piles, and 255 of which were 20-inch
by 20-inch by 70-foot-long pre-cast concrete piles. Due to an implemented
accelerated schedule and innovative project management
By Dean Story, Cajun Deep Foundations, LLC
Photos courtesy of Cajun Deep Foundations, LLC
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