ExxonMobil delivered this week 240 five-gallon buckets of medical-grade hand sanitizer to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to help with the Commonwealth’s efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
The 1,200 gallons of sanitizer were shipped to the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.
Earlier this month, ExxonMobil reconfigured Louisiana manufacturing operations to produce, blend, package, and distribute the product for relief donations in Louisiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania. The company is targeting production of 160,000 gallons of sanitizer for distribution for medical providers and first responders across the United States.
“ExxonMobil has the ingenuity and experience to help states during this time of crisis,” said Holly Hannold, Manager of Public and Government Affairs in the Appalachia District for XTO Energy, an ExxonMobil subsidiary. “We are honored to partner with the Commonwealth to find solutions that help us mitigate the impact of the coronavirus and respond to this pandemic.”
XTO Energy has its Appalachian headquarters in Butler County and operates throughout western Pennsylvania as well as Ohio and West Virginia.
In order to provide for the donation deliveries, the company increased its monthly production of isopropyl alcohol – a key hand sanitizer ingredient – by about 3,000 tonnes at its chemical manufacturing facility in Baton Rouge, La. The production increase is enough to enable the monthly production of up to 50 million four-ounce bottles of sanitizer.
“The ingenuity and dedication of our employees to develop a consumer-ready product in record time demonstrates ExxonMobil’s commitment to help those in need during the global pandemic,” said Darren Woods, chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corp. “We’re focused on keeping our people and communities safe while supporting frontline responders and meeting customer needs.”
ExxonMobil also announced this month the increased capability to manufacture specialized polypropylene by about 1,000 tonnes per month, which is enough to enable the production of up to 200 million medical masks or 20 million gowns.