Gulf Coast Growth Ventures (GCGV), a joint venture between petrochemical firms ExxonMobil and SABIC, has reached mechanical completion of a monoethylene glycol unit and two polyethylene units at its production location in Corpus Christi, TX, the companies announced in a release Monday.

The new assets will manufacture chemicals for the medical, automotive, and packaging industries.

“We are very proud to bring GCGV one step closer to operations,” Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, executive vice president of petrochemicals for SABIC, said in a statement. “Not only are we ahead of schedule, but we have executed this project with the highest commitment and emphasis on safety with nearly 18 million safe person-hours worked, all while acting on promises we made to the community when we started this journey four years ago.”

During the project, a 1.8 million mt ethane steam cracker was installed. The facility will have an annual capacity of about 1,100 kt of monoethylene glycol and 1,300 kt of polyethylene once the site is operational.

“Gulf Coast Growth Ventures is a key development of our plant to serve growing demand for our high value performance products,” said ExxonMobil Chemical Co. President Karen McKee in the release. “This is truly a best-in-class project, as demonstrated in schedule acceleration and cost competitiveness, despite the many challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

600 permanent jobs will be created as a result of the investment in Corpus Christi. ExxonMobil will operate the site.