HOUSTON, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- North American Pipe, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Houston-based Westlake Chemical Corporation (NYSE: WLK), announced today it has begun shipping products from its newly completed large diameter PVC pipe facility located in Calvert City, KY.

The plant will produce approximately 55 million pounds per year of large diameter PVC pipe ranging in size from 12 to 36 inches for use in sewer, municipal water and drainage applications. The new plant is strategically located to serve key merchant markets and is adjacent to Westlake's PVC resin facility in Calvert City, thus allowing the company to cost effectively enhance timely service to customers.

Mike Powell, Vice President & General Manager of North American Pipe noted, "The addition of this new large diameter pipe capacity significantly enhances our ability to provide our customers with a full spectrum of PVC piping products and solutions and further differentiates North American Pipe."

North American Pipe Corporation

North American Pipe Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Houston-based Westlake Chemical Corporation and a leading manufacturer and supplier of PVC pipe. It currently operates nine PVC pipe plants throughout the United States and has announced the construction of an additional plant in Yucca, AZ. North American Pipe's broad range of PVC pipe products allows it to be an important supplier in the municipal water and sewer, residential plumbing, irrigation, agricultural and do-it-yourself markets. For more information, visit http://www.northamericanpipe.com.

Westlake Chemical Corporation (WLK)

Westlake Chemical Corporation is a manufacturer and supplier of petrochemicals, polymers and fabricated products with headquarters in Houston, Texas. The company's range of products includes: ethylene, polyethylene, styrene, propylene, caustic, VCM, PVC and PVC pipe, windows and fence. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.westlake.com.

The statements in this release relating to the new PVC pipe plant, as well as any other matters that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially. For more detailed information about factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, please refer to Westlake's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, which was filed in February 2008.

SOURCE  Westlake Chemical Corporation
    -0-                             09/17/2008
    /CONTACT:  Media, David R. Hansen, or Investors, Steven Bender, both for
Westlake Chemical Corporation, +1-713-960-9111/
    /Web site:  http://www.northamericanpipe.com
                http://www.westlake.com /
    (WLK)

CO:  Westlake Chemical Corporation; North American Pipe
ST:  Texas, Kentucky
IN:  CHM CST
SU:

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0540 09/17/2008 06:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com