Kent, headquartered in Houston, has been awarded detailed engineering services for a specialty chemicals expansion project at Oxea's Bay City, Texas, manufacturing facility following completion of the project's front-end engineering design (FEED) phase.

According to Kent, the work is being performed under a three-year master services agreement signed with Oxea in 2025 that covers engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services across the chemical producer's operations.

Kent said it completed the FEED phase for the project earlier this year and has now begun detailed engineering activities, which are scheduled for completion later this year. The company also recently completed a laser scanning campaign at the Bay City facility to develop digital asset data intended to support future engineering, maintenance and capital projects.

The project is part of Oxea’s broader investment in specialty chemicals manufacturing and is intended to enhance production capabilities at the Bay City site. Earlier this month, Oxea announced plans to increase propionaldehyde production capacity while enabling additional propanol and butanol output and expanding feedstock availability for its carboxylic acids portfolio.

The expansion also includes a long-term synthesis gas supply agreement with Air Liquide, which is investing more than $200 million to build and operate a dedicated onsite partial oxidation unit that will supply syngas and low-carbon hydrogen for Oxea. The new unit is expected to begin operating in early 2029 and will support Oxea's expanded oxo chemical production while incorporating carbon dioxide recirculation technology designed to reduce emissions.