A letter to our community

Dear friends and neighbors of Shell Deer Park,

Today the employees at the Deer Park Manufacturing Complex were informed that Shell is selling its interest in the refinery to Pemex, pending regulatory approvals. I want to be clear that Shell will continue to own and operate the Shell Deer Park Chemicals plant, which means we will continue to play an active role within the Deer Park community. We are committed to being transparent with our employees and our community through this process. Since the news was made public today, you will likely see media coverage in the days to come and I wanted you to hear the news directly from me.

To share the context, Shell was not trying to sell the refinery. Shell reached an agreement to sell our interest in the refinery to Pemex following an unsolicited offer from them to own and operate the refinery. Pemex has been a strong 50/50 joint venture partner at the Deer Park Refinery for nearly 30 years. Given this history, they are already familiar with the facility, its personnel, the focus on safe and stable operations and of course, the importance of our local community.

I also would like to be clear that there are no job losses expected as a result of this sale as the current experienced workforce at the refinery will be offered employment by Pemex.

Shell is proud of the strong relationships we have built with our local communities and this has been a key element in the discussions with Pemex around this sale. As we proceed, we will work with Pemex on how best to maintain the refinery’s community involvement, practices and the critically important relationships we have with our neighbors. Shell is not leaving the community and we are committed to continuing to be a good neighbor. While Pemex will become the sole owner and operator for the Deer Park Refinery, Shell will continue to have a substantial presence in the community through our Deer Park Chemicals facilities.

Our top priority is to ensure a safe and responsible transition and handover of operations for the refinery, with respect for our employees, the Deer Park community and our neighbors in Pasadena and La Porte. As always, if you have a question or comment about our operations, we hope you will call us on our community hotline at 713-246-7301. You can also contact us on Facebook and Twitter.

We’re proud of our 92-year history as an operator and neighbor at Deer Park and we will continue to play an active role in the community.

Sincerely,

Guy Hackwell
General Manager, Shell Deer Park