While SpaceX gets its city in South Texas, a major oil company is creeping closer to getting a multi-billion-dollar plant approved for another part of the Texas Gulf Coast.
ExxonMobil applied in December 2024 for property tax breaks regarding a new project under Texas' Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation Act (JETI), according to a public filing with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Called ExxonMobil's Coastal Plain Project, it called for construction of a plant in the Calhoun County city of Point Comfort, about 110 miles southwest of Houston and across Lavaca Bay from Port Lavaca.
The gears are beginning to turn to get those tax breaks approved. In a public meeting Tuesday, the Calhoun County Independent School District board unanimously voted to develop a tax break agreement with ExxonMobil, according a report by nonprofit news site Inside Climate News.
The vote Tuesday was called a "first step in the process" of building a relationship between Calhoun County and Exxon Mobil, which is headquartered in Houston and already has major plants in Baytown, Beaumont and Gregory. A school district consultant told Inside Climate News that the board essentially elected to discover more about "the commitment of Exxon ... for the protection of the community."
The plant ExxonMobil is looking to construct is a steam cracking plant, which means hydrocarbons in natural gas will be cracked down into the ingredients used to make plastics at the facility. According to the most recent public filing, the project would cost between $8 billion and $11 billion. Peak construction workforce is expected to surpass 3,000 people per day, and ExxonMobil expects to generate 300 permanent and 300 contract jobs at the plant.
ExxonMobil is hoping to start construction of the plant as early as 2026 with facilities starting operation around 2031. ExxonMobil said in December and maintains that several locations worldwide are still being considered for this specific plant, including "locations in the Middle East and Asia." In Calhoun County, Inside Climate News reported ExxonMobil wants a 50 percent reduction in school district property taxes for 10 years starting in 2031.
"In the highly competitive global energy industry, the consideration of JETI incentives for the proposed project in Calhoun County is a key factor in determining the location choice for the project," read ExxonMobil's filing. "Substantial tax incentives ensure the project returns are more competitive than the other options under consideration."
Local environmentalists have been speaking out against the proposed project. Inside Climate News reported one resident who has been outspoken has accused the school district of deception by not clearly stating details about Tuesday's public meeting.
© 2025 the Houston Chronicle. Visit www.chron.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
