Current as of Q3 2021
There are many exciting things happening in Matagorda County. The following is a summary of activity during 2020 and 2021 as the county comes out of the Coronavirus pandemic.
- TenarisBayCity – the $1.8 billion facility sits on an 1,800-acre site, produces 600,000 tons of pipe per year, and began operation in 2017. Due to the Coronavirus and market conditions, Tenaris did have a reduction is staffing at its Bay City facility during 2020. In the first quarter of 2021, Tenaris began rehiring those positions as the market recovered and demand for drilling pipe returned. The facility is restoring its staffing to pre-pandemic levels of approximately 700 employees.
- South Texas Project – a nuclear operating company, located just south of Bay City. It is the county’s largest employer with 1200 employees. Approximately 52% of the employees at the facility are of retirement age. The company plans to ramp up the hiring of new employees in 2021 and beyond to replace the retirees.
- Lodestar Energy Group, LLC – announced plans to build the new Matagorda Crossing — South Texas Rail Terminal in El Maton. The $32 million terminal will handle rail traffic from nearby fractionation, crude oil and natural gas storage facilities.
- Air Liquide – announced the construction of a new $107 million world-scale Air Separation Unit on 20 acres at the Port Authority of Bay City facility. They plan to staff at least 10 full-time employees with an average salary of $69,000. Air Liquide will supply oxygen and nitrogen from its industrial gas pipeline network to a new ethane cracker facility near Corpus Christi.
- E-on – completed construction on a 138 MW wind farm for Matagorda County. Estimated employment at 10 employees with a second phase in development.
- Oyster Research and Recovery Center – located in Palacios is operated by a partnership between Harte Research Institute and Texas A&M AgriLife Research. The recent operations will be focused on producing larvae for aquaculture farmers, forming partnerships for the development of new oyster reef habitat, bolstering the economic resilience of coastal communities, and ensuring responsible stewardship of Gulf Coast resources for future generations.
- Rohm – announced in June of 2021 the selection of a site outside of Bay City for the construction of a new methyl methacrylate plant. The new facility will create approximately 70 full-time, well-paying jobs with an estimated investment of over $200 million. Anticipated operations are to begin in 2023.
- OQ Chemical – a plastics manufacturer located outside of Bay City plans an expansion of $70 million to support the new Rohm facility with the production of additional quantities of propionaldehyde. The expansion is estimated to be complete in 2023.
- Matagorda Rum – a local family of entrepreneurs is planning a new rum distillery with a tasting room and event center. The new investment is estimated at over $4 million with the creation of 16 full-time and 10 part-time positions. Operations are estimated to begin in late 2022 or early 2023.
- Starbucks – in mid-2020 opened a new location in Bay City.
- Independent School Districts – Bay City ISD completed construction of their new High School Football Stadium, Junior High School and Tenie Holmes Elementary School in 2020. A brand new Linnie Roberts Elementary School is currently under construction. Van Vleck ISD opened its doors on the construction of their new middle school, high school, and ag shop renovation site to students and teachers for the start of the 2020/2021 school year.
In addition to the investments listed above, there are several ongoing projects being worked which will bring substantial capital investment and job creation to Matagorda County. Due to the early stages of site selection and due diligence, details on these activities cannot be disclosed at this time.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.