TotalEnergies Petrochemicals & Refining USA
Corporate brand
UnclaimedThe United States petrochemicals and refining subsidiary of French energy group TotalEnergies.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
TotalEnergies Petrochemicals & Refining USA is the United States petrochemicals and refining subsidiary of French multinational energy group TotalEnergies. It was formerly known as Total Petrochemicals USA Inc., and its corporate lineage reaches back to American Petrofina Inc., incorporated in 1956 with Belgian petroleum group Petrofina as its majority owner. The business developed through a combination of acquisitions, manufacturing expansion, corporate mergers and successive name changes, eventually becoming part of the Total group and later adopting the TotalEnergies identity. The company began actual operating activity by acquiring Panhandle Oil Co. in 1956 and the American Liberty Co. of Dallas in 1957. During the following decades, it expanded its industrial footprint through purchases of petroleum, refining and chemical assets. These included Cogsden Petroleum Corp. in 1963, Gulf Oil facilities in Calumet City, Illinois, in 1968, the Port Arthur refinery from BP in 1973, polystyrene plants in Orange, California, and Windsor, New Jersey, in 1977, and ARCO's polypropylene plant in La Porte, Texas, in 1984. The acquisitions gave the business a broader presence across refining and polymer production rather than limiting it to a single petrochemical product category. Manufacturing investment was a central part of the company's development. The La Porte plant was expanded in 1995 and was described in reference material as the world's largest single-site polypropylene plant at that time. The Carville, Louisiana, polystyrene plant subsequently achieved a similar distinction after its expansion in 1996. In 1997, the company formed a joint venture with BASF to develop a large naphtha steam cracker facility. That facility opened in 2001, strengthening the group's access to basic petrochemical feedstocks and supporting downstream production. The corporate structure changed repeatedly as the business was integrated into larger European energy groups. American Petrofina's Texas subsidiary became Fina Oil and Chemical Co. in 1985 and was renamed FINA Inc. in 1991. FINA merged with its parent, Petrofina SA, in 1998. Petrofina then merged with Total S.A. in 1999. Following Total's acquisition of Elf Aquitaine, the chemicals division operated under the ATOFINA name. The United States company was renamed Atofina Petrochemicals Inc. in June 2000 and became Total Petrochemicals USA Inc. on October 1, 2004. After the parent group adopted the TotalEnergies name, the United States entity became TotalEnergies Petrochemicals & Refining USA. The company produces and markets petrochemical products, including polypropylene and polystyrene-related materials, and has also operated refining assets as part of its historical portfolio. Its activities are connected to the wider TotalEnergies industrial chain, which combines feedstock processing, refining, chemicals manufacturing and product marketing. Public reference material has described a workforce of more than 7,000 employees and sales of approximately $3.4 billion, but those figures are historical and are not treated here as current financial data. The headquarters is in Houston, Texas, at the TotalEnergies Tower, formerly known as Total Plaza. In 2005, the company signed a 15-year lease for approximately 150,000 square feet in Louisiana Plaza in downtown Houston. The building was subsequently renamed Total Plaza, and hundreds of employees moved there during late 2005. The Houston location reflects the importance of the United States Gulf Coast to the company's refining and petrochemical operations. The business remains a United States operating arm of TotalEnergies, although current standalone financial, executive and facility-level information is limited in the supplied sources.
History
The business was incorporated in 1956 as American Petrofina Inc., with Belgian parent company Petrofina holding a majority of its stock and Harry A. Jackson Jr. serving as its first president. Its first operating acquisitions were Panhandle Oil Co. in 1956 and the American Liberty Co. of Dallas in 1957. The company expanded through additional purchases, including Cogsden Petroleum Corp. in 1963, Gulf Oil's Calumet City, Illinois, facilities in 1968, BP's Port Arthur refinery in 1973, polystyrene plants in Orange, California, and Windsor, New Jersey, in 1977, and ARCO's polypropylene plant in La Porte, Texas, in 1984. The corporate identity changed as the business was reorganized. In 1985, American Petrofina Co. of Texas became Fina Oil and Chemical Co.; in 1991, that company became FINA Inc. FINA merged with Petrofina SA in 1998, and Petrofina merged with Total S.A. in 1999. After Total acquired Elf Aquitaine, the chemicals division used the ATOFINA name. Fina Oil & Chemical Co. was renamed Atofina Petrochemicals Inc. in 2000, and the United States company became Total Petrochemicals USA Inc. on October 1, 2004. Plant expansion accompanied the corporate changes. The La Porte, Texas, site was enlarged in 1995 and was described as the world's largest single-site polypropylene plant at that time. The Carville polystyrene plant achieved a comparable distinction after a 1996 expansion. In 1997, the company formed a joint venture with BASF to build a large naphtha steam cracker, which opened in 2001. In 2005, the company moved hundreds of Houston employees into Louisiana Plaza under a long-term lease. The building was renamed Total Plaza, and it became the company's downtown Houston headquarters. Following the parent group's rebranding as TotalEnergies, the United States subsidiary adopted the name TotalEnergies Petrochemicals & Refining USA. Its activities center on the production and marketing of petrochemical products, with its historical portfolio also including refining operations.
- 2005
Houston headquarters moved to Total Plaza
[1]The company relocated employees to leased downtown Houston offices in a building renamed Total Plaza.
- 2004
Total Petrochemicals USA name adopted
[1]Atofina Petrochemicals Inc. was renamed Total Petrochemicals USA Inc. on October 1.
- 2001
Naphtha steam cracker opens
[1]The steam-cracker facility developed through the BASF joint venture began operations.
- 1997
BASF steam-cracker joint venture formed
[1]FINA and BASF formed a joint venture to develop a large naphtha steam cracker.
- 1995
La Porte polypropylene expansion
[1]Expansion made the La Porte, Texas, site one of the world's largest single-site polypropylene plants.
- 1973
Port Arthur refinery acquired
[1]The company acquired the Port Arthur refinery from BP.
- 1968
Calumet City facilities acquired
[1]The company acquired Gulf Oil's Calumet City, Illinois, facilities to support construction of a polystyrene plant.
- 1956
American Petrofina Inc. incorporated
[1]The United States company was incorporated with Petrofina as majority owner and Harry A. Jackson Jr. as its first president.
Products and positioning
A large-scale industrial petrochemicals and refining operator serving the United States market as part of TotalEnergies' integrated energy and chemicals portfolio.
Petrochemical polymers
Polypropylene
Polypropylene is a principal product category associated with the company's United States manufacturing history. The La Porte, Texas, plant was expanded in 1995 and became a major single-site polypropylene operation. The material serves industrial and consumer applications, although the supplied references do not specify the company's current product grades or customer sectors.
Petrochemical polymers
Polystyrene
Polystyrene production formed an important part of the company's historical United States portfolio. Facilities in Calumet City, Illinois, Carville, Louisiana, Orange, California, and Windsor, New Jersey, were connected with the business at different points. The Carville facility was expanded in 1996 and was described as reaching leading single-site scale.
Basic chemicals · 2001
Petrochemical intermediates and feedstocks
The company's portfolio includes petrochemical products supported by upstream processing and feedstock infrastructure. Its 1997 joint venture with BASF produced a large naphtha steam cracker, which opened in 2001 and supplied basic chemical inputs for downstream manufacturing. The references do not provide a complete current product list.
Refining
Refined petroleum products
Refining has been part of the company's historical operating scope, including the Port Arthur refinery acquired from BP in 1973. The refinery asset illustrates the evolution of the business from a petroleum company into an integrated refining and chemicals operator. The supplied material does not establish the current ownership or operating status of this asset.
Brand decisions
2005
Relocation of Houston headquartersStrategyBackground
The company needed a Houston headquarters suited to its United States workforce and Gulf Coast industrial operations.
Action taken
It signed a 15-year lease for approximately 150,000 square feet in Louisiana Plaza and moved hundreds of employees there. The building was renamed Total Plaza.
Aftermath
Total Plaza became the company's downtown Houston headquarters. The lease also included an option for additional space.
2004
Rebranding as Total Petrochemicals USAStrategyBackground
The chemicals business had passed through the Petrofina, FINA and ATOFINA identities as its parent groups merged and reorganized.
Action taken
Atofina Petrochemicals Inc. changed its name to Total Petrochemicals USA Inc. on October 1, 2004.
Aftermath
The United States business operated under the Total Petrochemicals name before later adopting the TotalEnergies identity.
1997
Joint venture with BASF for a naphtha steam crackerM&ABackground
The business sought to expand its access to basic petrochemical feedstocks and strengthen integration between upstream processing and downstream chemical production.
Action taken
FINA formed a joint venture with BASF to build a large naphtha steam-cracking facility.
Aftermath
The facility opened in 2001. The supplied sources do not identify the ownership percentages or later operating arrangements.
Sources1 sources
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