Everything is bigger in Texas, and with recent progress, the Houston Port Region is primed for even greater expansion and opportunity.
Houston Port poised for major industrial expansions and growth
Aondover Ityokumbul with John Cockerill Hydrogen; Jeremy Osterberger with BIC Alliance; Tracie Williams with SONGWON International Americas; Will Wilkins with Valero; Alexander Griffiths with QYK Brands and Chad Burke with Economic Alliance Houston Port Region at the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region’s Industrial Procurement Forum in Pasadena, Texas.
Key industry stakeholders gathered this fall during the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region’s annual Industrial Procurement Forum to discuss procurement, infrastructure development and the future of industrial growth in the area. Panelists shared valuable insights, highlighting both current and upcoming projects that are driving the region’s ongoing development.
Tracie Williams, president and CEO with SONGWON International Americas, discussed the company’s expanding presence in the Americas, including a new facility in Pasadena, Texas, focused on polymer stabilizers — a product known as a one-pack system. The site will boost SONGWON’s blending, packaging and warehousing capabilities.
"We’ve had excellent growth here, and this expansion will enable us to continue serving key markets across the Americas," Williams said. She also addressed the practical advantages of expanding in Texas, noting, "We’re not facing major air or wastewater permitting hurdles here in Pasadena, which makes it easier to move quickly," thanks to the state’s favorable regulatory environment.
Aondover Ityokumbul, head of supply chain at John Cockerill Hydrogen, outlined the company’s hydrogen project in Baytown, Texas, where it is building a gigawatt electrolyzer facility to produce green hydrogen. The facility will play a key role in the company’s global hydrogen strategy, converting water into hydrogen for use in ammonia and methanol production.
"There’s a great manufacturing base in Texas and Houston, and we want to leverage that," said Ityokumbul. "So, we’re actively looking for suppliers." He added that the decision to be close to customers was strategic, noting that Houston has the largest hydrogen hub.
The project is expected to create jobs in assembly and manufacturing while building a robust supply chain to support operations. The company is currently ramping up construction and sourcing suppliers and equipment for the electrolyzer assembly process.
QYK Brands, a California-based company, announced a major expansion in Liberty County, Texas, aimed at diversifying the U.S. supply chain for essential materials. Alexander Griffiths, executive administrator with QYK, explained that the move follows disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
QYK won a competitive bid under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Critical Chemicals Program to produce 1-methyluric acid, a key chemical in the U.S. supply chain. "We are bringing jobs to a region that has historically been overlooked for major economic development," Griffiths said, noting the project will employ hundreds and strengthen the industrial supply chain.
With $50 million in federal seed funding, QYK plans a $350 million investment to build a facility capable of producing 30k mt of 1-methyluric acid annually by 2029, creating hundreds of jobs in the process.
Will Wilkins, executive director with Valero, elaborated on the company’s growing role in renewable diesel and SAF. Valero, with 15 refineries across the U.S., Canada and the U.K., is the world’s second-largest producer of renewable diesel, converting waste oils into clean fuel.
"We’re using waste that would otherwise go into landfills to create a product that can replace traditional diesel," Wilkins said. "It’s truly sustainable because it doesn’t rely on agricultural feedstocks, and it operates without the need for government credits."
Valero is also expanding into SAF, a blend of renewable diesel designed to reduce aviation’s carbon footprint in Port Arthur, Texas. Due to the region’s talent pool, contractor network and business-friendly environment, Wilkins said it was the best option for building a facility to support the project.
"Organizations and colleges build the talent we need to execute the ingenuity that we design," said Wilkins. "We need that symbiotic relationship with our contractor workforces to deliver the innovation that the future requires."
