2012 — Number 1 - ExxonMobil

15
A day in the life of
Baton Rouge
Story by Mike Long
ExxonMobil’s world-class Baton Rouge refining and petrochemical
facilities can process more than 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day
and manufacture 10 billion pounds plus of petrochemicals annually,
making them a mainstay of the U.S. economy.
Dawn breaks over the tallest state capitol in the United States
and the twinkling lights of the Baton Rouge refining and chemical
complex. The refinery began operations in 1909 on a 225-acre site
along the Mississippi River, with a petrochemical plant added in
1940. Today, the complex spreads across 2,100 acres and is the
second largest in the United States.
Story by Mike Long Photography by Robert Seale
Crude oil enters the refinery via these pipelines
for conversion into hundreds of products that
help keep the U.S. economy running, including
3.6 billion gallons of gasoline per year.
Maurice Sanders, an assistant operator in the refinery, gauges
the volume of hydrocarbons in a refinery storage tank. The
complex employs a company and contractor workforce of about
5,500, representing an annual payroll exceeding $325 million.