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BEAUMONT, TEXAS — ExxonMobil has begun the $2 billion expansion of its petrochemical refinery in the East Texas city of Beaumont. The initiative was launched in 2019 but subsequently paused and delayed due to COVID-19. The plant was originally built in 1903 along the banks of the Neches River and has grown to encompass more than 2,700 acres and include manufacturing and packaging operations that employ more than 2,000 people on a daily basis. The Beaumont refinery processes some 366,000 barrels of crude oil per day, and the company expects that the expansion will increase that figure by an additional 250,000 barrels per day.